Making of a Legend
by DevilsBountyHunter1
Summary: The Dragonborn may save Tamriel from the dragons, but who must rise and save the land from the Dragonborn? She may not be the mighty Dovahkiin, but she will become a Legend in her own right.
1. Tremors

Tremors

Sabrina's fingers tightened around the finely molded leather grip on her bow. She was sure she had heard something in the bushes, but there wasn't even a shaking branch in sight. The growing darkness wasn't helping either, but that was just too bad. Until she found something edible, she couldn't go home, or else it would be just another dinner of dry bread and old tomatoes, and that was just getting horrible.

Ever since Faendal, her older half-brother, had left the cabin for a more social life in Riverwood, the amount of meat on the family table had consisted of whatever rabbits Jul, her little sister, had been able to catch in her traps. However, lately it seemed that rabbits didn't multiply as well as the saying seemed to say they did. Thus, Sabrina was now out trying to find a deer to feed the family for a few days.

It seemed like she had been hunting all night when she finally spotted a young buck curled up beside a large tree. She raised her bow, praying to the eight that the meager lessons in archery that Faendal had given her were enough. Her cold arms resisted movement as she nocked an arrow and tried to pull the bowstring back to her cheek. The feeling had left her fingers hours ago, and her body was becoming weak from the chill that pervaded her limbs, making the tip of the arrow sway horribly as she attempted to line up her shot, knowing that if she missed this opportunity, she would have to return home empty handed. Her breathing slowed as she committed to the shot.

Time slowed as her fingertips released the bowstring. A voice like thunder rang out over the forest in a rumbling yell, uttering but one word, "Dovahkiin." Sabrina's heart leapt in her chest as she watched the arrow sail toward it's target, which, having heard the voice, was jumping to it's feet. The arrow hit the deer, though not in the intended location. The buck bolted, the shaft of her arrow protruding from it's upper leg. Sabrina knew it would tire quickly, so she followed as fast as she could, her long legs striding in long steps across the frozen ground. Had she been a nord, keeping up with a deer, even a wounded one, would have been quite difficult. This however, was not as much of a problem, given her elven mother. She and Faendal did not share the same father, as his elven father had been killed by the Aldmeri years before she had been born. Whatever the case, she thanked the gods as she leaped deftly from log to log. Finally she could see the deer panting underneath a tree which had fallen into the trees near it, leaving it suspended on one end. Not wanting to waste another arrow, she decided to kill the deer with her trusty steel dagger. She drew it carefully from the sheath set horizontally across her lower back, her fur armor muffling her movements as she ran up the angled tree, pausing above the deer to calculate the distance to the ground. It was about fifteen feet down, which for someone as who was fairly agile as she was, really wasn't a bad distance to fall, if she missed the deer.

She jumped from the tree, landing a bit in front of the deer and swiftly rolling forward, drove her dagger deep into the deer's chest, shoving herself away from the flailing animal to wait for it to die. The deer reared onto it's hind legs, front hooves flying, knocking the dagger's handle up to the muscular neck of the buck and slicing into it's jugular. Blood sprayed from the open wound, spurting with every heartbeat. Sabrina had not gotten far enough back, and one of the spurts of blood hit her face, covering everything from the front of her silvery haired head down to her breasts, soaking and blinding her.

Sabrina wiped the blood from her eyes, and was amazed to see the buck laying on the ground, eyes wide with it's final fear. She felt sick, not only from the blood covering her, but also because this was the first thing she had killed that was larger than a mosquito. Collecting herself, she stood and retrieved her dagger, stepping on the buck's neck to pull the dripping blade from it's meaty sheath and then wiping the blade across her arm to clean it off before replacing it in it's sheath. If she had brought her meatbag and it had been light out, she would have tried to skin the deer and just take the meat she could carry, but neither of those things were going her way, so she decided to just take the whole deer. This turned out to be quite the process, since she had no idea how to go about moving a two-hundred pound deer. Eventually she cut it's head off, tied the rear hooves together, and drug it from that end.

As she drug the lifeless body of her kill across the frozen forest, she cursed whoever had been yelling so loudly in the middle of the night. If it hadn't been for them, she would not be covered in blood, nor would she have had to drag this massive dear halfway across the forest. It was then that it struck her; whoever had been doing that shouting had a much more powerful voice than any normal humanoid that she had ever met. That voice sounded almost magical, like it held a power within the words themselves. And what was Dovahkiin? She decided to ask her father when she got back to the house, but for now she just had to keep plugging along as well as she could. After all, if whatever had spoken was still in the area, she could be in serious danger if she didn't get out of there as quickly as was practical.

She had been cold before she began dealing with this deer, and had warmed up for a bit, but now she could feel the ice crystals forming in the blood on her face, just as she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. The house was just over the next rise when she noticed a strange glow coming from her house. This seemed odd, since usually the only light visible on the outside was when someone opened the door, but she didn't let it concern her until she noticed the sounds of raucous laughter and saw the shadows that only large fires could make. A pit formed in the bottom of her stomach as she pushed herself to move a little faster. When she crested the hill, she stopped dead in her tracks, the deer dropping behind her as her arms fell to her sides. Tears welled up in her eyes and began streaming down her face, melting tracks through the blood on her face. She tried to scream, but no sounds would come. Sabrina staggered over to the fire and dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Eventually, she curled up by the burning logs and cried herself to sleep.


	2. Waking Nightmare

Waking Nightmare

Sabrina jumped as she felt something wet and cold touching her face. As her eyes flew open, she found herself staring directly into the eyes of a giant wolf. It's keen eyes seemed to stare into her soul, and as she continued this uncomfortable stare down, she began noticing things about this wolf. Had she been standing, the wolf's head would have come up to her hips. It's shaggy coat seemed soft, and looked as though it would make a wonderful pillow, that is if she could get it to lay on it's side to be slept upon. The beast was large and muscular, long fangs glinting in the early morning sun that filtered through the foggy landscape. The entire wolf was a light translucent blue, as if he were a piece of the sky made into a wolf's shape. Somewhere in the back of Sabrina's mind it clicked, this was a ghost wolf, and since it didn't seem to want to hurt her, she stretched out her hand to stroke the top of it's head.

The wolf bolted as soon as her fingers brushed it's soft fur, sprinting off into the mist. It was only then, as she looked around to determine her location, that the memories from the night before came flooding back into her mind.

Beside her, the charred remains of her home lay smoldering, tiny wisps of smoke still ascending from a few coals. Scattered among the ashes were pots and pans, a few utensils, and the stone chimney. Sabrina's mind whirled, and she spun around, her memories torturing her, knowing what she would see when she looked up.

The grand old oak tree in front of her house had been there for hundreds of years. Her mother, and her grandfather had both played on it when they were children, climbing It's massive trunk and resting on the thick branches. A swing hung from one of it's branches, one that she and her father had put up together, carefully trimming the branches back that would be in the way, and setting it low enough that her childish legs could just barely swing below her seat. Now, frozen blood was sprayed across it's seat. Beside it swung three bodies, two tall, and the third no taller than her waist. Their blue faces screamed for justice as their half opened eyes stared blankly back at her. Large red sprays covered the ground in front of each body, a tribute to the slashed stomachs each corpse bore. Organs hung from each body, grim wind chimes which clicked together as they shifted in the soft breeze.

Sabrina's stomach turned, and she had to dry heave for a few minutes before she decided that she needed a distraction. Turning back to the house, she began picking through the rubble, attempting to find anything that was salvageable. It wasn't until she got to where her parents' bedroom had been that she found anything unmarred by the fire's greedy tongue. To her surprise, the item that she found was not made of metal or stone, or even buried beneath anything. It was a book, completely untouched by the fire's ravaging effects, while books around it had been reduced to finely shaped piles of ash. The book's blue cover seemed to almost glow, and she could feel a slight power when she picked it up. Figuring that this was something that could wait for later, Sabrina tucked it into her pack and returned to the tree to do her duty as a loving daughter and sister.

Having decided that wrestling with frozen bodies would be easier if they were not connected to a tree, Sabrina climbed to the branch from which they were hanging, when she noticed something moving in the fog. Crouching low against the branch, she watched as the ghost wolf from earlier trotted into view, a gigantic Redguard in tow. They were quite close to the clearing before the large, muscular man slowed and gasped at the gory sight before him. He approached slowly, murmuring to the wolf about how the bandits were growing more and more problematic in the area. Sabrina's hand wrapped around the hilt of her dagger, ready to draw it and attack at any moment. Internally she kicked herself for leaving her bow resting against the charred logs.

Sabrina finally got her moment, and intending to simply pin the man on his back with a dagger to his throat, she leapt towards him, reaching for his shoulders. In a flash, both he and she tumbled to the ground, her blade pressed against his throat as she crouched over his prone body. A feeling of exhilarating satisfaction rushed through her, only to be replaced with a sinking feeling as the body she had pinned to the ground was glowing blue, and was translucent. She had pinned a ghost! But she had been sure that he was a man. How the hell was that possible? Suddenly, the ghost beneath her vanished, and she tumbled to the ground, having lost her support. She looked up in amazement, and then groaned. There stood the very much not ghost version of the man, his ancient Nordic sword pointed straight at her chest.

"Don't move missy," the man's deep voice growled. "I'm guessing that you are the only survivor of this massacre here, am I correct?" Sabrina nodded silently and he continued, "In that case, I promise you no harm will come to you while I am with you. Have you got any plans of revenge or anything yet?" She shook her head. "Good then, I'll help you. I, Alek'sir of Winterhold, pledge my sword and my spells to you. Now, let's get your dead buried. It's a disgrace for them to be hanging like that."

She gratefully accepted his help, and soon the sad work was done. After some struggling, Sabrina managed to skin the deer and get the better meat stowed away for the future. As she was packing, she started making a list of questions to ask this strange man. How had he done the ghost spell? What was his story? How did he have a ghost dog? What other magical things could he do? Could he train her to do magic? The questions would have to wait though. First, she had to get some food and then get away from the site of these atrocities.

Her mood lifted a bit when she smelled the meat that Alek'sir was cooking over the campfire, and when it was ready to be eaten, she tore into it with reckless abandon. Finally having her hunger sated almost brought tears to her eyes, but she forced them back and smiled. Alek'sir was a good cook, and she would be more than happy to keep his massive, muscular self around. Besides, he was really quite the man to behold. He stood about eye level with her, making him around six feet tall, and he had long braided locks of grey hair that rested well down his wide shoulders. He had a dangerous looking face, though it was quite handsome. Despite the slash over his eye, and the claw marks covering the other side of his face, his features seemed refined, like he was noble, but had chosen a much harder path than he had inherited. The only thing that threw Sabrina off was his eyes, which glowed white, even in the dark. Normally, one would assume that somebody with white eyes was blind, but it was obvious that he was neither blind, nor even impaired. He almost seemed to be able to see things before they were even visible.

After eating, she began to ask questions, but his only reply was, "Sleep by the fire. Questions can be answered anytime, but sleep must be attained as soon as possible." As little as she liked that idea, she was still exhausted from the night before, and she soon found herself drifting into a happy dreamworld, trusting her new friend to watch over her while she slept.


	3. Power

Power

Hot breath on her neck woke Sabrina with a start. The ghostly wolf's face greeted her as she opened her eyes, and she leapt up in shock. Alek'sir's face lit up as a giant grin spread across his face. "Did my friend here scare ya a bit lass?" His thick accent brought yet another question to her mind. It wasn't exactly normal for someone from Hammerfell. It sounded more like someone from Nordic villages far beyond the edge of Skyrim.

"I have two questions," her thoughts raced to select only two from the myriad that coursed through her brain. Finally choosing two, she continued speaking. "One, how did you tame that ghost wolf of yours? He's so well trained, and the whole ghost thing is awesome. My other question is, who are you?"

His deep voice rumbled, "I take it you haven't been around magic much. He isn't a ghost dearie, he's a part of me. He's called a familiar. A small part of my soul has been let loose onto this world, and it's capable of many things. I can feel him and I can see what he can see. He can defend me and he hunts rather well. As to who I am, well that's quite a bit to say in one sitting. Let's just go with, I'm an adventurer with a very complicated past. Perhaps I will tell you more in our travels, but for now, I'm an adventurer, a mage, and a friend. I've been all across Tamriel, and I've seen everything from undead draugr to ancient vampires. Something is changing in this world though. I can sense a power in the air."

Sabrina's mind whirled with the thought of releasing a part of her own soul, "Can you teach me how to use magic?"

His eyes widened, and then he shrugged. "I suppose. But it won't be easy. Also, we will need to find a spell tome."

"Oh you mean like this?" Sabrina pulled the blue book from her satchel, and watched as Alek'sir's jaw dropped.

"Where did you get this? It's a tome of telekinesis. These are very hard to come by." His tone was incredulous.

"Oh, I found it in the ruins of my house. It didn't burn when everything around it had, so I figured it might be important." Sabrina fingered the spine of the book, feeling the power as her fingers passed over the soft leather of the book's cover. "So, is there some ritual that I have to do to use this?"

Alek'sir's milky white eyes looked her up and down as though pondering something, and then he burst out laughing. "Yes, there is." He then, in very serious tones, told her what she must do. Sabrina nodded, trying to remember everything he said. As soon as he was finished explaining, she scrambled off into the woods to find the items required for the ritual while he started to cook breakfast.

Returning with her supplies, she began to perform the ritual. Alek'sir sat down against a tree with a thud and watched as she began her sacred task. First, she put on the grass skirt which was required, as it made her connection with nature stronger. She then deliberately took a bite from an apple, then thrust it into the air with her outstretched arm. Twirling in a circle, she then bent low, touching the apple to the ground in eight spots around her, once for each of the gods. Once she had done this, she placed the apple on the ground and began bowing to it from each spot she had touched it for the gods. Upon completion, she then shot up into the air, landing in a squatted chicken pose. She struggled to keep her balance as she chicken danced her way in a circle around it, her deep purple eyes never straying from the apple. Finally, to complete the ritual, she had to sit entirely balanced on the apple while hand squeezing two grapes, one in each hand. This proved to be quite the challenge, and she found herself toppling from the apple over and over. It really didn't help that Alek'sir was laughing at her. Ok, laughing may have been an understatement. Alek'sir was rolling back and forth, holding his sides and wheezing, his dozens of long black braids flopping loudly as he swayed. Finally, she stopped trying and just stared at him.

"I'm… I'm… keeheehee… I'm sorry. Oh, that was great! Oh, hahahahaha, no, no, there isn't… there isn't a ritual. I just wanted to see you do that! Ha!" Alek'sir's eyes were watering as he grinned a big toothy smile.

Try as she might, Sabrina couldn't stay mad at him. A grin worked it's way across her face, then she laughed, her voice bubbling across the forest. When they both had calmed down, Alek'sir pulled her down next to him and handed her the tome. She looked into his eyes, and noticed that the whiteness of his eyes was not due to blindness, which he obviously could not have. It was in fact a magical swirling storm of white in each eye. "Why are your eyes white?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Oh, that's just the effect of a ring I'm wearing." he pulled off his gauntlet and revealed a large ebony hand which bore seven or eight rings ranging from gold to copper, each glowing slightly with various colors of the rainbow. "It makes me able to see things far away as though they were right in front of me, and it also makes my eyes see as though it was always a well lit day. I can see as though it were high noon on the middle of the night. But come now, let's get this tome used."

She eagerly took the book from his still gloved hand. Opening it up gingerly, her eyes widened as the book floated up a fingers breadth away from her hands, intense blue streaks swirling out from its pages, encircling her as her mind was flooded with the knowledge of the telekinesis spell. As soon as the magic stopped flowing from the book, she felt exhausted, and the book was just gone.

Alek'sir jumped up, and directed her to try and levitate one of the sausages out of the pan. Sabrina concentrated hard, trying to feel the sausage and lift it up, but apparently she was thinking too hard, and the sausage shot straight up into the air, way up by the tips of the trees, and then exploded, raining sausage on the entire camp.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure that one was burnt anyway. Try to relax, and just let the sausage float, like this." Alek'sir lifted his fingers and the meat floated up into the air. He then pulled it close and snatched it out of the air before popping it into his mouth and attempting to grin with a full mouth.

Sabrina tried again, and this time the sausage floated up, wobbled, and then dropped back into the pan with a sizzling plop. Her face lit up, and she tried a couple more times to get it to stay longer, but soon Alek'sir had packed up everything, and they were eating sausages while walking towards Helgen. She couldn't wait to get there and see the shops.

Trips to Helgen had always been the highlight of her month. She would admire the waraxes and the armor at the blacksmith's shop, and wish she could buy herself fancier clothes. At least she could get some jazbay grape mead. She couldn't wait to get there, and pressed on as quickly as she could get her companion to move, which was actually quite fast, considering how old he must be.

Alek'sir wasn't old per say, but he had a certain feeling about him, like he had seen many things, both good and bad. He had a wisdom about him too, like he knew many more things than he let on. His olive green orcish armor had dents and scratches from the many fights he had been in, his imperial sword hung comfortably at his hip, and his remarkably small fur pack hugged his back. This was a man who had seen many battles, and had come forth victorious. She had to hear his stories, but that would have to wait until she could pry them out over a campfire. For now, she pressed on eagerly.


	4. Dragons and Thalmor

Dragons and Thalmor

Sabrina trudged up the last hill before Helgen, and the village walls rose up to greet her. Curiously enough, the gates were closed, even though it was still daytime. Parts of the wooden walls that encircled the village were blackened, as though someone had tried attacking them with fire. There was no way that had happened though, as there was no enemy guard. Then it dawned on her, there was no guard, not even a friendly one. Normally there would be a couple of Falkreath's finest standing by each gate, to ensure that no hostile would get inside. But today, the place seemed like a ghost town. Perhaps there was something especially entertaining going on in town, enough to draw the guards away from their posts. Whatever it was that has everybody acting strange was incredibly quiet. There was no delightful sound of children screaming in delight, nor did she hear the incessant jabbering of merchants trying to bestow their wares upon some customer. Instead, it was silent, so silent in fact, that it seemed that if you concentrated hard enough, you could hear the Grim Reaper gathering the souls of those who sat in silence.

Alek'sir put a finger to his lips and motioned for her to follow him quietly. He then placed his hand on the gate and slowly pushed it open. Peering inside, Sabrina's hopes sank and a knot formed in the pit of her stomach. The scene inside was devastating. Houses lay in burned out ruins, their chimneys the only remaining reminders of the tall buildings that once stood strong. Bodies lay everywhere, charred black and twisted in their final agonies. A guard lay on his back, his helmet melted to skull, and his arm outstretched, the melted remains of a sword just beyond his reach. A mother holding two babies was still kneeling, her final act of heroics burned in time, though her body had not been enough to shield the small ones from the fire. They would be together forever now, their bodies burned into one sad sculpture. A small child lay on its stomach in the dirt, it's head and outstretched arms pointing to a man whose body had been pinned beneath a crumbling chimney, trapping his legs, leaving only his upper body to be burned to a crisp as he watched his child die. The tower in the middle of the village had a hole the height of a man blasted in the side of it, and it's stony crown had deep gashes as if a giant set of claws had torn into the stones of the tower and shredded them like cheese. Nobody was alive.

Tears welled up in Sabrina's eyes as she surveyed the scene. Beside her, Alek'sir stood in horror, and then his eyes went cold, and she could sense his determination. Whoever, or whatever had done this would pay dearly, and she wanted to be a part of it. Gently, she took his arm and led him from the site. Outside the gate on the opposite side of Helgen, she spoke softly to him, and convinced him that they should press on to Riverwood, the next village.

The next few hours were quieter than normal, right up until they reached the Standing Stones. The three man-sized stone pillars had carvings of constellations of stars; the thief would grant greater learning abilities in the stealthy arts, and the warrior would assist in the learning of swords, shields, armor, and bows. Finally, the mage stone granted the user a greatly increased ability to master magic. Sabrina started thinking about the cylindrical pieces of granite, imagining what it would be like to choose one and feel it's power surge through her body. The choice would be an easy one; she just knew the advantages of stealth would be greatly important in her future. Alek'sir seemed surprised by her choice, but didn't say anything.

It was about three in the afternoon when they finally reached Riverwood. The quaint little village was spread along the banks of a stream. There was a bridge at either end, providing access to the other side. The wall surrounding it on three sides was unmanned, as this was one of the safest villages in all of Skyrim. People milled about, doing their shopping and talking to those they met on the streets. Sabrina stepped into the Riverwood Trader and haggle to sell her furs. In exchange for the furs, she acquired food for their journey, as well as some gold Septims. Saying goodbye to the shopkeepers, she moved on to Alvor's blacksmithing. Here Alek'sir took the lead while she looked at all the razor sharp blades, skull crushing warhammers, and the sturdy armor displayed on the walls of the smithy. She was admiring a steel dagger that he had laying on his table when Alek'sir leaned in close and put his hand on her shoulder. "That one is yours now. I got you a few other things too." She turned around and her jaw dropped. There, in his hands, was a full set of leather armor, a pair of leather boots, and an iron helmet with curving horns that reached around the sides. On top of the pile of armor lay a steel war axe. Alvor, the smith, showed her inside to a place where she could change into her new armor. When she had finally strapped everything in place, she stretched and swung her axe through the air a bit to test the fit. She hadn't expected it to feel so free, or to bend quite as easily as it did. It felt natural, though a little bit stiffer than her furs had. She thanked Alvor and Alek'sir, and then the duo headed to the tavern to see what news they could find out.

Sabrina knew that Faendal would be out hunting until late that night, so she didn't worry about the fact that she hadn't seen him yet. Inside the tavern, the air buzzed with conversations and laughter. They made their way to the bar, where Alek'sir slid into a seat and called for three bottles of mead. Sabrina was less interested in the drinks however, and waited for the bartender to get the drinks for him before asking if there was any news she might be interested in. The bartender responded, "Well, there was the attack at Helgen. A dragon flew right into the village during an execution, and burned the place to the ground. There weren't very many survivors, though two of them did stop by. Oh, and one of the local villagers left too. A hunter by the name of Faendal left with one of the survivors. It's a pity, cuz the Elf was one damn good hunter. Now he is traveling with the man we sent on to Whiterun to warn the Jarl of the dragon attack." Sabrina's head whirled. A dragon attack? Dragons had been dead for hundreds of years. Faendal had gone adventuring too? Why would he do such a thing? She gathered her thoughts and asked the bartender about the bandits that had attacked her home. "Sorry hun, no news of bandits. Though there were a group of Thalmor who came through here swearing that they would kill someone who had betrayed them. Apparently they had finally found out where they were living." she thanked the bartender and bought a room for the night.

Thalmor were the worst of the worst. They were the enforcers of the elven laws here in Skyrim. They had ultimate power over anybody after the great war. Technically, they were supposed to be simply law enforcement, but usually they were just bullies that got whatever they wanted. To think that her father had been involved with them was impossible, yet nobody knew of any bandits in the area. If the Thalmor had been the killers, then they would pay. She would find them all, and she would kill them all. Nobody could stand in her way.


	5. Whiterun

Whiterun

Sabrina didn't sleep well that night. She had tossed and turned for most of the night before she finally drifted into the sweet arm of sleep. This comfort did not last long though, as her sleep was plagued with one recurring dream. In this dream, her brother, Faendal, was sneaking through what must have been an ancient Nordic tomb, following a man in mismatched armor. The man was muffled in his speech, as was Faendal, and they seemed to be fighting what looked like hollow shells of men wielding steel swords and waraxes much different from any that she had seen before. The men had glowing blue eyes, and seemed like they had been dead for many years. Faendal was swinging his iron greatsword uncomfortably, but not without skill. He was an archer, and a sword was somewhat foreign to him. The man in mismatched armor held an iron mace in one hand, and carried a round iron shield, from behind which flames would shoot from time to time, demonstrating the man's power with magic. Finally the man's voice became clear as he stood over a casket and yelled "Ahah! I have found it. I have found…"

Sabrina awoke with a start as Alek'sir shook her by the shoulders. Scowling at him, she crawled out of her bed and started strapping her armor on over her tight shirt and leggings. The mismatched warrior's voice still rang in her head, commanding attention and reverberating with power. What had she eaten the night before to dream about that guy? It had been so real, like she had been there. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and slung her pack across her shoulders. It was time to hit the road for Whiterun.

As they said farewell to the cozy little village of Riverwood, Sabrina finally got up the courage to ask Alek'sir about his past. "So where did you learn to do magic?" she asked.

The big man shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well I suppose you should know something of my past. I was a young fighter, and having some extra time on my hands, I decided to learn magic. At the time, that was difficult, as often a user of magic must use both hands, and I only had one." His eyes lit up as he watched Sabrina's face screw up in confusion. He took off his left gauntlet to reveal a hand made of ebony wood and metal. It was made of rings, and they seemed to be rolling down his arm and fingers, each band expanding, contracting, and splitting as needed, before disappearing into nothingness. He gestured to it and flexed the fingers as he said "This one isn't mine. Shortly before I arrived at the college in Winterhold, I got into a tussle with a saber tooth tiger. The bastard took my arm all the way to the shoulder, so naturally I took his heart and two of his teeth. From there I stumbled onto the doorstep of the college, and they took me in and healed me. A young Elf there by the name of Savos Aren asked me if he could enchant me a new arm, and I figured it couldn't hurt. Two weeks and four tries later, this little beauty rolled out, in a much more basic form of course. They then trained me in magic until I was a master, and then I left. Since magic comes to me quite quickly, it only took two years, but they were very busy years. I helped them with a few of their problems, and then left. I've only gone back twice, and then only to get upgrades for my arm. This thing can split into two separate arms, and it's uncuttable. It also can flatten it's outside to form a shield. It also allows me to channel magic that otherwise would burn out my body. Honestly, I'm glad I lost my arm."

Sabrina tried to contain her shock, but ultimately failed. Unsure what else to say, she asked, "If you can't cut it, why do you wear the gauntlet?"

He laughed a bit, and then explained, "People aren't used to seeing this guy like that, and the armor looks good on me anyways. You know it's true."

She just shook her head walked on for a little while, pondering all he had told her. Finally, she blurted out, "Do you think that the college would take me on as a student of magic?"

"I suppose." His voice bore a solemn tone. "You would be better outside the classroom though. With me. I can teach you everything that they can, and I can do it without all their politics. Ever since I accidentally slid most of Winterhold off into the sea, people haven't respected the college nearly as much, and it's grown small."

Sabrina nearly walked into a guard patrolling the road that led to Whiterun. "What?" she sputtered. "You mean to tell me that you are responsible for killing three quarters of a city?"

"It was an accident, I swear. I was just testing out a spell that Savos and I had been working on behind the professor's back, and instead of making a nice beach, it crumbled everything that was by the cliffs, sending everyone into the sea. The exertion from is sent me into a coma for three days before I came to. The college managed to convince the town that it was just an earthquake, but nobody trusts them anymore."

Silence fell between them as they approached the gates of the city, and Sabrina's thoughts whirled. She had to make a choice; either she would travel with and learn from the man who killed most of Winterhold, or she would have to learn and survive on her own. As little as she liked what he had done, he had been young, and it was an accident. She would just accept who he was, and hope he didn't destroy any more cities. The knowledge that he was capable of such a thing made her appreciate his help. He could have picked anyone, and she was the one that got him as a trainer. She was going to be just fine.

They had made it inside the gates, and she had only one thing on her mind: she had to find Faendal. To obtain this goal, she headed straight for the local tavern, the Bannered Mare. Heading straight to the bar, she called for a mead and then proceeded to ask about her dear brother and his companion. The only information that she obtained was that they had come in, talked to the Jarl up in the keep, and had then gone straight back out on some secret mission for the Jarl's court wizard. If they returned, they were expected the next morning. Oh well, one more night of good sleep wouldn't hurt. She rented a room and then switched gears to her revenge mission. Upon inquiry, the barkeep told her that the Thalmor had come from their embassy near the northern border of Skyrim, and that they were looking for an elf that had helped smuggle a foreign Talos worshipper into Skyrim.

Talos worship was forbidden by the Empire and the Thalmor. Seeing as he was only human and had no special personage, other than settling Skyrim, he didn't qualify as a god. The Stormcloaks disagreed, and thus were fighting their war. This brought a troubling thought to her mind. Had her mother smuggled a Talos worshipper in? There was no way. They were loyal to the empire. Her mother would never betray the imperial government. No way. It had to have been a mistake on the Thalmor's part, and for that she would seek every one of that party out and kill them with her bare hands if need be.

Sabrina spent the rest of her day wandering Whiterun and looking at all the things for sale. When the time finally arrived for her to sleep, she was wiped out. She collapsed into the bed and fell sound asleep, happy to see Faendal in the morning.


	6. New Friend

New Friend

Two figures rose from the darkness, each carrying an elven dagger. They crept forward, sneaking up behind a pair of bandits, being careful to follow the shadows of the cave. The bandits had no clue that there were intruders about to end their lives. The figures leaped from the shadows, stabbing their daggers into the bandits' necks and blood sprayed across the wall in two swaths, creating a large bloody "X". The bandits slumped to the floor, their necks gushing red streams all over the floor. The figures stood by a fire and spoke in whispered tones. Suddenly they jumped into a dark corner and hunkered down. Faendal and the mismatched warrior walked into the room with their swords drawn. The mismatched warrior spoke, "I think after this we will just go to to Windhelm and join the Stormcloaks. I'm sick of these Imperial bastards. I think we will go through Riften." Faendal just nodded silently, and they moved on to the next room.

The two figures stepped back into the light and one of them said to the other,"That was close. Astrid, you need to find more apprentices. I'd much rather be training new people to replace me in the field."

"You just want to be lazy. Open the portal already." The one addressed as Astrid shoved the other as he cast a spell. A swirling ring appeared in the wall, and they stepped into it, disappearing with the ring.

Sabrina woke with a start, sensing a presence in the room. As she scanned the room, her hand instinctively wrapped around the handle of her knife. In the corner, a dark shape moved. Sabrina flew out of bed, drawing her knife, and tackled the person, slamming them up against the wall, her blade pressed against their throat. The Redguard woman she had held against the wall had a terrified expression on her face. "I'm so sorry, please don't kill me. Your friend said that I should come wake you when the sun came up." Sabrina pulled back, but kept her knife pointed at the woman. "My name is Saadia, I work here. I'm sorry if I scared you."

This woman obviously wasn't a threat, so Sabrina put her knife back in its sheath. "It's ok. Thank you for the wake up, but maybe in the future, if you do this again, don't hide in the shadows. I might have killed you if I hadn't been as nice as I am. You're lucky I don't kill strangers unless they are a threat. Now leave please." Saadia nodded hurriedly and scurried out the door, shutting it quietly behind herself. Sabrina swore under her breath and then turned to put her armor on.

Alek'sir had left before the sun came up, and had gone out to do something in the city, though he hadn't mentioned to the barkeep what exactly he was doing. Oh well, she could find something to do on her own. Warmaidens blacksmith by the wall had seemed like a place she should stop by. She had heard that they had orcish daggers for sale, and she wanted a pair.

A few hours later, and after some back and forth, Sabrina was the proud owner of two orcish daggers with leather wrapped handles and sheaths made of ebony and steel. She strapped them across her lower back, and while it was a little heavier, she felt better having a second blade.

Faendal still hadn't shown his face by two o'clock, and Sabrina was getting restless. After asking around, she had learned that Alek'sir had gone to the keep, which was called Dragonsreach. She decided that she had waited long enough; those Thalmor needed to die. Before she could leave though, she needed Alek'sir. There was no way she was going to try to face Skyrim without him. She started walking away from the gate, when two strangely armored men with dark skin walked into the city. Sabrina paused, examining their strange clothing. They both wore red turbans and tunics of the same color. Their armor reminded her of a rug being draped over a fence to dry, and at their sides hung twin scimitars. They were arguing with the guards, who had stopped them from going any further into the city. Sabrina could barely make out their words, so she moved closer, and one of them asked her to find a redguard woman in the city, and bring her to the stables outside. There was only one redguard that she knew of that was female, and that was the maid from the bannered mare, Saadia. The guy had offered a reward, so she decided to bring the woman to him.

Entering the tavern, Sabrina spotted Saadia sitting in the corner. When she approached her, she mentioned the guys outside, and Saadia took her upstairs to a private room. As soon as the door shut, Saadia had her knife at Sabrina's throat. "Who are you, and what do you want?" Saadia demanded. Sabrina stammered something about a bounty, and Saadia's face darkened. "I suppose it's about time they caught up with me. I've been running for so long, I just want it to end."

Sabrina could see that the woman looked exhausted, and decided that she should do something to end her suffering. "Look, I have a plan," Sabrina said slowly, mostly because she was actually still making the plan as she spoke. "If you go out to the stables tonight around dusk, I'll meet you there, and we can finish whatever you started." The woman nodded, and Sabrina left the room.

This was going to be difficult. From the looks of things, those men outside the walls were assassins, and she was no match for them with her daggers. She kicked a rock from the road, and an idea sprang to life in her mind.

Dusk approached, and Sabrina was ready. She escorted Saadia to the stables, and the two assassins looked greedily as they neared. Sabrina's face wore a cold, calculating expression as she talked to the men. When the deal was done, the shorter of the two assassins tossed her a bag of gold containing a thousand septims. Septims were small, but even the smallest things can weigh a fair bit when there are a thousand of them. She dropped the bag, and the men turned and began dragging Saadia away by her arms, her face twisted in anguish as she called for Sabrina to help her. Sabrina's eyes twitched between the bag of gold and the woman being dragged away. Finally, the guilt was too much, and she took off after the trio. Sabrina was learning stealth quite quickly, and was able to gain on them while remaining undetected.

She was only five feet behind them when she began her attack. Her hands wrapped around the handles of her daggers, pulling them out silently. Like a flash, she slashed at the first man's ankle, severing his Achilles tendon. Quickly dodging his stumble, she grabbed the other by the arm and yanked him away. Slicing a deep cut down his wrist, she grabbed Saadia by the wrist and yanked her away. The men stumbled into each other, giving Sabrina enough time to grab four pebbles. Casting telekinesis, the pebbles rose about an inch off her hand, spinning in a circle. The men looked up, realizing what was happening, and started to charge, yelling as they did so. The first one was stumbling, but he was still able to move quite fast. The pebbles stopped spinning on Sabrina's palm, and shot towards the assassins, two to each. The pebbles shot through each of their necks, and blood spurted out of the finger-sized holes. Sabrina directed the pebbles to then fly down through their bodies, carving holes through their torsos. The pebbles dropped from between each of the men's legs, and they slowed and then stopped. Blood poured from their groins, creating two streams of red liquid that ran down the road. Behind them, a guard ran up panting and swearing about his bum knee.

After some explanation on both of their parts, Saadia and Sabrina headed back towards the city. "Thank you so much!" Saadia exclaimed as tears ran down her face. "If you ever need anything in town, I'll be sure to get it done."

Sabrina wasn't really the hug type of Elf, but she made an exception for Saadia, and sent her on her way. After picking through the assassins' bodies and grabbing the bag of septims, she was now quite wealthy. She packed the gold back to the tavern and just before she fell into a deep sleep, she noticed that Alek'sir was snoring in his bed, a new ebony bow tucked beside his pack.


	7. Meeting the Dead

Meeting the Dead

Dreams didn't come to Sabrina that night, and she was glad. When she did awaken, Alek'sir was just finishing lacing up his boots. He grinned at her, and reached for the new bow he had acquired. Holding it out, he said, "Here. I know you are becoming better with magic, but an Elf like you should be equipped with a good bow. This one will serve you well, and it will drive an arrow through a troll's skull with ease."

Sabrina took the bow, and pulled on the string, amazed at how comfortable it was. This bow was not like any bow she had used before. It had a molded handle, with single arms extending about four inches on the top and bottom. After that, however, each of the arms split, making two arms, side by side to each end, where they were attached to the string, which was shaped like an "X" with a long straight section where the split parts crossed. This bow was extremely powerful. In between the split arms, there were attachment points for blades, though none were attached at the moment. She would have to find some good blades to put in there. Thanking him profusely, she slung it over her shoulder in place of her old bow, and headed out into the tavern, still dressed in her armor from the day before.

The air was buzzing with excitement. Sabrina asked around, and was told that a couple of Thalmor agents had stormed through Whiterun during the night looking for information on a survivor of an attack near Falkreath. Not having found any information, they had stormed off towards Windhelm. Sabrina stormed back into the room and threw her pack over her shoulder, explaining to Alek'sir that they needed to hit the road immediately. The large man nodded and grabbed the last of his things before exiting the room. Revenge was coming, and Sabrina couldn't wait.

As the duo walked down the road to Windhelm, Sabrina's curiosity piqued, and she began badgering Alek'sir about his trip to the Dragonsreach. She was disappointed, however, when all he did was grunt something about about a "Disturbed child" and an "Evil blade." This did little to satisfy her questioning, but she couldn't get more out of him, so she let it go. Neither one of them was surprised when a pair of wolves attacked them along the way, and a few quick jabs and swipes with her daggers dealt with that issue. The air got colder as they made their way north, and Sabrina began wishing she had kept her fur armor. It would have kept her warmer at least.

It was nearing dusk when she noticed the Nordic ruins along the road. Alek'sir pulled out a scroll which Sabrina recognized as a map of Skyrim, except this one was different. It had a whole bunch of locations marked, though none of them had names except the cities. Alek'sir's fingers hovered over the area that they were in, and a name wrote itself in cursive as though a pen were writing it. "As far as I can tell, we are at the ruins called 'Silverdrift Lair'. I've passed by this place in my travels, but I've never been inside. It might make a good sleeping place if we clear out the inhabitants." The big man placed a large hand on her shoulder and asked, "Have you ever fought a Draugr?"

Sabrina's chest tightened. Draugr were the undead warriors tasked with protecting the ancient Nordic burial grounds. They had once served the dragons when the beasts had ruled over Skyrim. Now they were cursed to never go to sovngarde with the rest of the mighty warriors, but rather to walk the halls aimlessly until they were destroyed. As nasty as the thought of fighting undead was, it couldn't be that hard. She shook her head and shrugged. "There is always time for something new." Alek'sir motioned over towards the door, and they began their task of clearing the place of it's nasty denizens.

The giant wooden doors slammed shut behind them, and it almost seemed like they uttered the word "Doom" a they shut. Inside the circular entryway, a fire blazed with some meat smoking above it. A few chairs were strewn on the floor, as well as some empty wine bottles. Among the mess lay two bandits, their bodies twisted in their final agonies. Someone had been here and cleaned out the idiots. Sabrina hoped it wasn't the draugr, as this would mean that they would be hard to kill. Alek'sir's hands lit up with orange flames as he prepared to throw fireballs at whatever lay ahead, and they advanced towards the menacing black hole in the wall.

Down the passageway, they found another bandit, his intestines strewn across the path. His steel sword had been no match for his adversary. Sabrina shuddered at the thought of seeing her own insides. Ahead, a door was shut, but when she tried to open it, all she got was some dust on her shoulder. That door was barred from the other side. A bronze brazier had flames dancing in it, casting weird shadows across the damp walls of the tomb. They came across a set of double doors, and when they opened them, a lump formed in her throat. "Is… is that… a…?" Sabrina stammered.

"Draugr" Alek'sir confirmed. His face wore a grim determination as his hands came up, fireballs leaping from his hands. The ugly humanoid ahead of her yelled something in zombie and charged. His dry skin was cracked and peeling from his bony frame, and his eyes glowed bright blue. For being undead, the monster moved fast, and was able to dodge the incoming missiles, weaving towards Sabrina. He raised his arm, an ancient sword rising above his head, and swung at the air in front of her. She leapt forward, rolling past the draugr's feet, and slashed at its ankle as she went by. Unfortunately, the undead don't really care if you cut their skin. They just swing their swords again, which he did. The butt of it hit her on the side of the head, knocking her back, dizzy and in pain. He raised his sword above his head once more, intent on delivering the killing blow, when suddenly his back arched, and from his chest erupted a long black sword, which was glowing purple. The undead monster groaned, and energy swirled out of his body, condensing into a stream that ran through the air to Alek'sir's pocket. He yanked out his sword, and the body fell, it's eyes no longer blue or glowing.

"What did you do to it?" she asked, confused by the energy. He helped her up, and then sheathed his sword.

"I pulled his soul from his body. I'll use it later to enchant a weapon for you. Trust me, you'll be happy." Alek'sir explained. An enchanted weapon? What did that mean? Not right now, she told herself, questions can wait.

They approached the next room with caution, and found themselves overlooking a fire, by which stood a female draugr, carrying two waraxes. Sabrina drew her new bow and carefully lined up her shot. She released the bowstring, and her arrow flew exactly where she had aimed it, sinking into the ugly woman's skull, killing her instantly. Another draugr stood in front of a wall of iron rods, and Alek'sir motioned for her to watch what he did.

Sabrina started to stop her companion as he stood to his full height and began walking calmly towards the undead man, but he dismissed her and kept going. Suddenly, his hand shot gained a blue glow, and an orb formed and then flew from his magical hand. The Draugr shook its head when the spell hit it, and then suddenly its eyes stopped glowing blue, and shone bright white. It knelt, and Alek'sir spoke. "Serve me. Protect me and my company from harm this night. When your task is complete, remove your head from your body."

The tall draugr nodded, and then rose. It's deep voice thundered it's acceptance of the terms, and then followed them back to the entrance of the tomb. On the way, they stopped by the draugr with the axes, and she wrestled them from the nasty pile of dried flesh and bones. Stringing them on either side of her belt, she felt more equipped to deal with up close encounters. Promising to teach her how to use them, Alek'sir pulled the meat from the smoking rack, and tasted a piece before offering her a large hunk of what she hoped was deer. They ate well that night, and their guardian stood in the doorway, his hand on his sword, ready to fight anything that dared enter his protected space.

Sleeping on rocks seems like torture, but it actually wasn't as bad as she had expected. There were a few lumps that she had to re-position her hips around, but in the end, she slept soundly, with only her dreams of her brothers adventures with the mismatched warrior and Alek'sir's incessant snoring to bother her.


	8. Learning to Kill

Learning to Kill

A deep voice yelled furiously, snapping Sabrina out of her peaceful dreaming. A cold hand grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her from beneath her furs. She stumbled along, blindly following the powerful man as he guided her towards the back of the tomb. A large man was fighting off three attackers at the entrance, who she recognized as Alek'sir. That couldn't be though, because he was pulling her, or so she had assumed. A sudden realization came over her when she looked down at the hand holding her wrist. Dry skin covered long bony fingers that could only belong to one thing: a draugr. Recoiling, Sabrina tried to tear herself away, but he kept his grip firm and pulled her behind a large rock.

"Here," the monster spoke in his deep gravelly voice, "Put your armor on. You need to be able to defend yourself." He stretched out his arm, and dropped her bundle of armor and weapons on the floor in front of her. Her mind whirled. She had heard the draugr speak in their ancient tongue, but to have it speak her language was something else entirely. Gathering her gear, she hurriedly put it on while the undead warrior protected her. Finally strapping her weapons belt on, she tapped her protector on his shoulder, and the two advanced into the fight, their weapons drawn. When they approached Alek'sir, the battle was silent, and he was standing, quite relaxed, in the middle of the room. All three of his attackers stood frozen in ice columns, with only their noses sticking out.

Alek'sir grinned a big toothy smile, and began selectively melting parts of the ice so that he could tie them up. Sabrina stood with her hands on her hips, gaping at the power that he had displayed. Finally, she managed to sputter, "Here I thought you were horribly outmatched, and you just singlehandedly froze them all on the spot."

He turned toward her once again, and smiled. "While I appreciate your concern, the only reason I'm with you is to teach you. Not so that you can help me stay alive. I'm quite difficult to kill." He then turned and addressed the draugr; "You have done your job quite well, but before I remove you from this world, I release your tongue from the spell I put upon you." The draugr shook his head as though to clear it of unwanted thoughts, and then looked up expectantly. Alek'sir continued, "Tell me, draugr, who were you, and where do your loyalties lie?"

The ancient corpse tried to speak, but all he could manage was his ancient language. Alek'sir grunted, and magic flowed from his hand into the draugr's head,and then he tried to speak again. "Thank you for the knowledge of your language. My name was Kelton before I was forced to be this… this abomination. As for my loyalties, I have none besides this spell which you have cast upon me. Can I tell you my story?" Sabrina and Alek'sir nodded in unison. "Good," he continued. "For I have a sad one. In the age of dragons, I was a member of the rebellion against the dragons' rule. I started as a healer, and as I saved more and more fighters lives, I also was too late for hordes more. Feeling as though I could do more, I began to deal in necromancy, and it wasn't long before I could bring a corpse back to life for a day. For me though, one day was not enough, I needed to really bring them back from the dead. So, I went searching for a magical ring that had been blessed by the eight divines. In my search, I found the ring, but I was captured by the the dragon priests. They cast a submission spell on me, and I began saving the lives of my enemies. When the dragons were finally defeated, I was locked in here. My submission spell wore off about a hundred years ago, but I've been asleep for many more. Now that you have freed me however, I have a request." Alek'sir cocked his head in inquiry, and Kelton continued talking. "I know that my dragon followers curse is permanent, and that I will never see the blessed halls of sovngarde, but perhaps I can redeem myself here in this realm. I know who you are, Alek'sir of Winterhold. I also know that you have the power to transfer my soul to a soul gem. I only ask that you do this, and rid me of this horrible form. Call upon me when you need me, but let me rest within the gem that you carry. Perhaps I can atone in part for all the evil that was committed due to my handiwork. Will you grant me this wish, dov…"

Alek'sir cut him off before he finished his sentence, "Yes, yes I will. Only do not use that title. I have not gone by that in many years, and I do not wish to ever again. Too much evil is possible with that title."

Sabrina crossed her arms, her thoughts whirling. What was this evil title that Alek'sir had once held? Too many questions were rising up about his past, and she didn't like it. After they dealt with the Thalmor and he had taught her more, she would ask him. Until then she would bide her time and learn as much as she could.

Alek'sir raised his ancient Nordic sword, its blade blackened with the obsidian layer that made it so strong, and purple magic swirled around it. Kelton lay down on the table, and the blade dropped, spearing straight into his chest. Kelton's soul spiraled out of the wound, and the corpse body went limp. Alek'sir pulled his sword out, and sheathed it. He raised his magical hand, and magic swirled in his pulsing palm. Kelton's spirit flew from the gem on Alek'sir's belt, and suddenly a very handsome nord ghost stood between them, grinning as though he'd just left somebody's hand in warm water while they slept. The man was short, for a nord, probably only five feet tall, and his body was very slender. Yellow magic curled around each arm, ending in a ball of golden energy, and he chuckled.

Sabrina took this opportunity to speak up. "I know that the Thalmor are going at a leisurely pace, but if I'm going to kill them, I need to learn how to do that better. Can we stay here and train?"

"Of course," Alek'sir said, "If the Thalmor are going to Windhelm, they will stay a few days and spy on the Stormcloaks. After all, it is their capital. Ulfric Stormcloak rules that city with a very racist hand, and they will have to take precautions to not be noticed. We can take some time to train. I know who Kelton is too, and as I remember it, legends say that he was quite the axe wielder. He will teach you how to use them, and I will teach you how to use telekinesis better. Sound like a plan?"

Sabrina nodded excitedly, and the two men left the tomb in search of some branches to use as practice targets. When they returned, the training began in earnest. Kelton taught her how to use her axes not only as deadly blades, but also as hooks for people's knees, throwing projectiles, and clubs for knocking people out. With Alek'sir's help, she was soon able to throw her axes, guiding them to her intended targets, and then retrieve them. Since Kelton was a spirit, he couldn't truly die, so she killed him in a dozen different ways each hour, and Alek'sir brought him back each time.

By the end of the day, the muscles in her arms were burning, and she was about to collapse from exhaustion. She beheaded Kelton one last time, and then Alek'sir told her to go to bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she could hear Kelton and Alek'sir talking about battles during the first dragon crisis. It seemed odd, but it almost sounded like Alek'sir was speaking from experience.

Her dreams took her to Riften, where Faendal and his companion were talking to a horrible woman by the name of Maven Black-Briar. Their conversations were impossible to make out except for a few words here and there, but from what she could tell, they were arguing about her connections with some thieves guild. The warrior no longer wore mismatched armor, but now stood fully clad in bronze armor that looked as though it was Dwarven in design. It made the man look larger than he was, almost mechanical. Faendal now wore a full set of steel armor, and in addition to his bow, he now carried a large Dwarven two-handed greatsword. Faendal addressed him as Alden once, but she her curiosity piqued when the Maven woman said, "I don't care if he is the Dragonborn, the legendary Dovahkiin, you can take your Stormcloak notions and shove them up your ass! When the Imperials take this city, I will be the new Jarl, and you will no longer be welcome in this city."

Sabrina woke in the middle of the night, and her thoughts clicked into place. Alden, the warrior with whom her brother traveled, was Dovahkiin, the man whose name had been called from the skies that fateful night. Now she absolutely had to find him. He would get himself killed by the dragons that everyone in Whiterun had been talking about if he kept following that man around.


	9. Love at First Interrogation

Love at First Interrogation

Choosing to break the pattern that the last few days had held, Sabrina decided to cook breakfast. She groggily started searching her pack for something to cook with, when a sudden realization came over her: those bandits who had attacked them had brought provisions as well. Shaking her head to rid herself of some of her sleepiness, she stood and stretched before meandering over to the intruders' belongings. Rifling through the packs, she found some apples, a carrot, and a piece of dried out bread. Slightly disappointed, she reached for the final bag, and was shocked to see what lie within.

Laying on the top of the rest of the bags contents were two sweetrolls. She giggled with excitement, and pulled them out with gusto. Between their long journey so far, and the overly dry bread they had been eating for lunch, this was a well deserved and happy treat.

She found Alek'sir talking to the prisoners, who, despite their best efforts, were still tied up. He was asking about the latest news in the bandit circles. The responses that he got from the two men included the word "fuck" and a variation of "you", but the young woman that accompanied them had a more prudent mind, and spoke in soft, almost soothing tones. "I have information, and I could be persuaded to tell you, but I have some requirements." To this, Alek'sir frowned, but nodded for her to go on. She stated, "I want to be set free first, and let go after I tell you what I know. I can see that the two of you are going to go far in this world, and I would like to help you get there. If you let me go, I will inform you of any news that I get."

Sabrina thought about that for a bit, and then stepped from the shadows. "I'm not fully convinced yet, but I'd like to talk to you more. Alek'sir?" she turned towards him, "I want to keep her alive for now. The other two are all yours though." Fear washed over the two men's faces, and Alek'sir drew his sword. Two quick stabs later, their lifeless bodies slumped to the floor. Sabrina shifted her gaze back to the the young woman before her. "You, what's your name?" The girl responded, her tone now bolder, that she was the bandit chief known as Katerina. After some more conversation, Sabrina agreed to let her go, and in return, Katerina offered her safety in any bandit camp that she had influence in. Alek'sir had packed up their belongings, so they headed out, untying Katerina on their way out the door.

Once outside, Alek'sir pushed Sabrina to the side of the door and hunkered down behind a bush. Confused, she started to protest, but he clamped his hand over her mouth and pointed to Katerina, who was sauntering away from the ruin. Her body moved in a graceful yet seductive gait, her hips swaying slightly as she walked, which brought one's eyes down her lithe body to her firm derriere.

"Alek'sir! You dirty minded scoundrel!" Sabrina scolded. In response, all she got were unintelligible mumbles. Katerina apparently knew that they were there, and turned on her toes just before rounding the corner, raised up on her tiptoes, bent forward, and blew a kiss to the mumbling jackass beside Sabrina. Grinning like a fool, he hummed a little tune as they walked towards Windhelm. Sabrina started laughing when he tripped over his own feet, and she began teasing him in a sing-song voice, "You like her, you love her, you really want to fuck her." After a few repetitions, his dark skin turned slightly red and he hushed her, but she did it once more.

A few hours later, the mood was much more serious. They were approaching Windhelm, and there were subtle signs of Thalmor nearby. A statue of Talos stood near the bridge to the city, and from below, Sabrina wondered at it. To think that this entire civil war that was being fought was because of people who chose to worship at that statue was sad. Since they were there, she figured they might as well go look at the thing before they entered the city. Skirting around the base of the hill, the duo was almost to the shrine when they noticed the hooded figures standing over a dead nord woman.

"That's one less Stormcloak to worry about. Now, let's get this over with before the inhabitants come to worship." The speaker had a deep voice, thick and sickeningly cruel.

His companion on the right kicked the poor woman's body, making her slide down a small icy hill, onto some sharp rocks. "It's a pity you killed her, I was hoping to get some Stormcloak whore action before we left. Oh well, nothing will ever quite compare to that elven traitor that I fucked near Helgen. She sure struggled and screamed a fair bit, but that made it better. Almost made me feel bad, leaving her body hanging there." His raucous laughter filled the air, and Sabrina's body tensed. She knew that laughter.

This was him. Them. The Thalmor who had murdered her family. What had they done to her mother? Had they really raped her? She couldn't bear the thought. It was all too much. Someone was going to pay, and they were going to feel every second of their painful death. She drew her axes and charged, screaming in unbounded rage as she tore up the rest of the hill.

The five elves at the top of the hill turned at the sound of her murderous anger, and the one with the deep voice started to draw his sword, but she was on him in a flash. She tackled him to the ground and grabbed him by the hair. Yanking his head around as she moved, she swung her axe in a circle, clipping one of the Thalmor in the elbow. He backed up, holding his slashed arm, and tried to cast a healing spell, but her axe came spinning through the air, sticking into his skull with a dull thump. A dagger struck her side, but her armor deflected it, and she grabbed the arm that held it with both of her hands, slamming the forearm over her knee. Blood sprayed across the snow in a wide arc, and bones crunched, tearing long slashes through the skin of his arm. A scream of agony erupted from the maimed being, and she spun on her knee, kicking herself to her feet. The two mer ahead of her charged, but the very stones of the hill rose up into the air, blocking their path. Unleashing her rage, she stepped back, placing her foot on the deep voiced elf's neck, strangling him, and willed the hill to bury one of the elves opposite her. Half of the stones flew forward, smashing his lifeless form to bits, and another pool of blood drained from the side of the hill.

Now only the laughing rapist stood unharmed. His face was pale, and he began to turn to run away, but she raised her hands, and he floated helplessly a foot off the ground. Larger and larger rocks began to float into the air around them, circling them faster and faster, until they were at the center of a stone tornado. She brought him within arm's reach, and two streams of sand shot up from the ground, and then outwards from her hands. The rapist's armor sliced off his body, leaving him naked, floating above a frozen landscape. The streams of sand struck once again, and the Elf screamed in agonizing pain as his skin split open, seams running across his torso and out each extremity. With a wave of her hand, all of the skin on his body ripped away, leaving only bloody muscles and bones beneath. Her anger boiled hotter and hotter, and his muscles began detaching from his bones, until his ribcage was fully exposed. Bringing his writhing body closer, she punched her leather armored hand deep inside his chest and ripped his beating heart from his chest. His body then drifted into the cyclone of rocks, and then the storm calmed.

All the rocks fell to the ground, reforming the hill. A lone statue of Talos stood silently watching the events around his stone pillar, the only part of the Hill not affected by her magic. The shrine was now about twenty feet up in the air, totally unreachable by man or mer. Sabrina slumped limply to the ground, a pile of clean bones on one side, skin and muscles on the other. A heart beat it's last beat in one hand while a skull stared silently at her face from her other, a final tribute to the twisted Elf that had once worn its dome. Silence fell over the snow, and darkness surrounded her. It was finally over. The murders were avenged.


	10. Aftermath

Aftermath

Sunlight drifted through the morning mist. A warm breeze blew a few strands of hair across Sabrina's peaceful face. In the distance, hills rolled, swathed in newly sprouted grass. Signs of the previous day's destruction lay in a wide circle around the elf's body. Rocks and boulders stood tall, silent guardians of the night and day. A vulture sat on her wrist, pecking at the dead Thalmor heart which that hand held. The skull in her other hand shone white and reflected the sunlight in a wide spray of golden beams. Smoke drifted up from a small campfire near the edge of the rubble. A spirit sat on a log, deep in conversation with a large redguard. Their tones were hushed, and regardless of the beauty that surrounded them, they had the somber looks of those who have seen a deadly series of events and must now bear the consequences thereof.

The events of the night before had changed Sabrina, in more ways than one. Her tall body bore a more mature, womanly form. Her hair caressed her face in wavy silver strands. Her leather armor lay in shreds around her sprawled form. Only her underclothes still preserved her modesty, and those only by a little, for they had been shredded by the hurricane of sand and stones as well. An assortment of bones and small rocks hovered motionless in the air surrounding her, moving only when an intruder attempted to disturb her sleep. When this happened, no matter the size of the intruder, they would immediately be pummeled by the floating objects. This killed most small intruders, such as mice or insects, and greatly harmed those larger.

Alek'sir was evidence of the latter, his good arm now bore many cuts and bruises from his attempt to reach for her to wake her. He cast a healing spell, and the damage slowly disappeared, but the look of concern didn't leave his face as he continued talking to the ghostly version of the necromancer he kept in his belt, Kelton. "Have you ever seen anything like this?" he asked in hushed tones. Kelton just shook his head, and Alek'sir continued, "Do you have any way of knowing if she is still in there? I would hate to repeat history…"

Throughout the day, people came and gawked at the source of their never-before-seen springtime weather. Alek'sir and Kelton stood guard to keep the innocent people from getting pummeled by the floating debris that guarded her sleeping form. As the visitors lost interest and left, new ones would approach the mangled hill in search of some adventure. Near sundown, two male figures approached from the town. One, elven in build, wore steel armor and carried a Dwarven greatsword. The other wore full Dwarven armor, and looked much more Nordic in origin. They walked with the confidence of men who have conquered many foes, and who expect to take on many more. The Elf faltered when he saw the form sprawled on the rocky ground, and started to run towards her before Kelton tackled him to the ground.

"You don't understand," the Elf in steel armor heaved. Kelton had done a good job knocking the wind out of him. "That's my sister. My name is Faendal. I left Riverwood to travel with Alden here. He is the Dragonborn of legend, and he and I have already done much to rid this world of many evils. I must try to wake her, for I may be the only one who she will allow to approach." At this, Alek'sir simply shrugged, and gave his approval.

Faendal slowly walked towards Sabrina's unconscious body, softly soothing her with his voice.

Sabrina's mind roiled in anger, scenes flashing across her vision. Images of her brother leaving Riverwood, of him fighting beside Alden, and of him pleading with an unseen assailant to not end his life while he was tied to a post all flashed across her brain. Then the scenes shifted to a battlefield that was littered with blue and red bodies. Many of the bodies had been gutted, and their entrails lay out on the ground, where buzzards and small rodents pecked and nibbled their way through them. Blood soaked the ground, and the air was thick with the combined smells of coppery blood and rotten flesh. Across from her, a lone man stood, red armored bodies surrounding his feet in a large circle. He wore deep black armor that shone in the sun. An evil black blade rested upon his back, and fiery red eyes glowed behind his helmet's slits. He drew his sword and with a yell dashed forward faster than humanly possible. His sword raised, and then suddenly everything went black.

A new world slowly came into focus. Faendal was slowly weaving through the floating debris that surrounded her. A look of deep concern lined his face. He paused a few feet away, once he noticed that she had opened her eyes, and he asked for permission to get closer. Confused as to why he would need to ask, she nodded. The objects in the air between them parted to allow him to pass. He dropped to his knees beside her, and in a questioning voice asked if she was ok. She nodded slowly.

"What happened? Why are you so far from home? Why are your eyes amber? Did you do all this?" the questions flowed out of Faendal like water, and Sabrina just held her finger shakily to his lips.

"Shhhhhh. I suppose I'm responsible for the destruction around me, though as I remember it, the season was perpetual winter." At this Faendal nodded vigorously. "Home is gone. The Thalmor that I killed here hung all of our family and slashed their stomachs. I avenged them. As for my physical changes, I had no idea. Perhaps they are side effects of the power that I used. I've never released so much magical energy, and I think it was almost too much for me to handle. Where is Alek'sir?"

Faendal looked at her with confusion for a second, and then sudden realization came over him. "Oh, your giant Redguard companion? He's sitting on the edge of your bonefield."

Sabrina sat up, and was surprised to feel very naked. Reaching up to cover her now bare breasts, she was shocked at how her body had matured to her fully adult form. A few giddy teen boys around the circle of people gazing upon her handiwork rejoiced at the brief sight of bare breasts. Alek'sir realized what was going on and started shooing people away. Her subconscious defenses finally declined, and the floating mess fell to the ground. Faendal handed her a blanket from his pack, and she wrapped it around her body.

All around them, the season changed rapidly. Cold winds blew shivers up Sabrina's spine. Snow started coating every surface as it blasted across the quickly freezing landscape. A massive black shadow swept across the ground, and a bloodcurdling scream echoed across the valley. Sabrina's blood froze in her veins. Beside her, Alden spoke in an ancient tongue, and fire erupted from his mouth, blasting the underbelly of the beast. Was this really a dragon? The air around them seemed to freeze solid when the scream from the sky broke the silence once more. Alek'sir drew his ancient nord sword, which mirrored its surroundings on it's obsidian layer. If one looked close, beyond the reflection of the horned monster which dove from the sky, they could see the ancient steel that formed the blade's core. The dragon focused on the Dovahkiin, and dove once again. Alden charged into battle.


	11. Pain

Pain

Alden had killed the dragon without a second thought. Yes, the battle had been fierce, but it was well evident when he had driven his sword into the beast's neck in a weak place between its scales, that he was, in fact, the dominant predator.

After the battle, the small group of fighters had made their way into Windhelm. Before they even reached the gate, the sheer grandeur of the place impressed Sabrina. The massive stone bridge leading to the gate had walls that rose on either side, the pathways atop manned with dozens of Stormcloak soldiers. Large bins filled with oil were placed periodically along the walkway, and men and women with grim expressions held burning torches, ready to set the bridge ablaze at a moment's notice. Freezing wind howled around them, and Sabrina shivered under the blanket wrapped around her naked body.

The massive gates that guarded the passageway to the city were closed, stern reminders of the bloody war that behind them was planned. The guards at the gate recognized Alden, and hurriedly opened the hulking doors. Inside, the frozen city sprawled across its stony foundation. The Inn straight ahead was the only building that looked welcoming, as warm rays of light sprayed across the snow from its small windows.

All four of the adventurers had snow in their hair when they entered the Inn, which made them appear to sparkle. Nobody seemed to notice the men, with their hoods and helmets on, but Sabrina stood out like a sore thumb. Her silver hair, while wind-whipped, shone like newly polished silver, framing her finely molded face. Her deep purple eyes now held a power, and shifted colors ever so slightly, giving the illusion of a vast ocean made of naught but late-evening sky. Her soft lips parted as she shivered, the heat from the fire not having filled her body yet. Her pointed ears parted her hair ever so slightly on either side of her head. She had always been thankful that Faendal had gotten the large ears instead of her. It allowed her to blend in a little better, though her face still bore some distinct elvish features. Around her, the entire room became silent. At the bar, a large Nord whose name, she learned, was Rolfe, sat. He swayed a bit as he swung onto his feet, and approached her. His gaze drifted to her ears, and he harrumphed loudly before returning to his seat.

Alek'sir took Sabrina by the arm and led her to the bar, where he purchased a set of clothes for her, as well as a tankard of mead for each of his companions as well as himself. The barmaid gently led Sabrina to a room so she could get dressed, and once she was clothed again, Sabrina thanked her with a few of the gold pieces that she found in the pocket of the rough dress. They weren't the most comfortable or warm clothes that she could have acquired, but they would do until she could get a new set of underclothes and some new armor. When she returned, she found that the boys had finished their tankards, and were now several shots into a bottle of Dunmer whiskey.

She plopped down onto a stool next to Rolff, and started drinking her tankard down rather quickly. She noticed that the big drunk kept looking over at her with slanted eyes, but she chose not to notice. Stormcloak people had a tendency to be prejudiced against anybody not Nordic in origin. They even disliked Bretons, though not as much as they hated elves. A few hours later, the boys had passed out drunk, and she was getting close to her limit. Finally, Rolff slid a shot glass in front of her, and asked her to drink with him, to show that he accepted her. She accepted, and downed the drink in one gulp. It was then that her head started spinning. She remembered stumbling around the city on his arm, and the last thing she remembered, he raised his fist and muttered, "Thish'll teach you damn elvsh to shtay out of 'hic' Shkyrim."

When she awoke, her head felt like someone had slammed it against a rock repeatedly. Blood had dried in small streams from each of her nostrils, as well as a few cuts on her cheeks. She ran her fingers across her face and quickly retracted them, wincing in pain from the bruises she found. She groaned as she sat up, and a throbbing pain erupted from between her legs. Blood had soiled her now torn dress where it had lay beneath her body as she was violently used the night before. She'd had a few men before, and so was not unaccustomed to being sore in the morning, but this was far worse. Pain shot through her body every time she took a step. Moaning in pain, and blinded by tears, she stumbled towards the door of the nearest house. It was locked, but with a slight flick of her wrist, she managed to get the door to unlock and swing quietly open.

She collapsed against the wall for a few seconds before she heard the child chanting. "Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear. Sweet Mother, Sweet…" Slightly worried for her own safety, she investigated, her orcish daggers, which for some unknown reason the drunk had not taken, firmly grasped in each hand. When she reached the small room on the second floor, she found a young boy, about ten years old, chanting the Black Sacrament over a skeleton adorned with a human heart, some unknown flesh, and a circle of candles around it. Sensing her presence, he whirled around and confronted her. "You're her! You're the Dark Brotherhood assassin sent to help me!" He proceeded to tell her a very sad tale of a woman who beat children for the fun of it, and then asked her to kill the old hag. She was shocked, to say the least, but the woman seemed evil to the core, so she agreed, with one stipulation: She would not accept any money from him, as he was already very poor. This made him very happy, and he jumped for joy for a bit before he noticed her condition.

Suddenly, a wave of sadness washed over him, and he hurriedly got her to a bed. She sent him to find Alek'sir, and then drifted into an uneasy sleep. Visions of the future invaded her mind, making her scream in her sleep.

Alden, the Dragonborn, trekked up a small road, Faendal in tow. They approached an evil looking shrine of the Daedric Prince Boethia. As they got closer, the shrine pulled Faendal closer to it, until he was trapped against the cold stone pillar. Fear shot into Faendal's eyes as Alden drew a thin black blade from one of the sheaths on his back. Alden smiled at Faendal, who struggled against his magical bonds frantically, and said, in a calculating tone, "You will grant the ebony blade more power, and you will speak for Boethia." With that, he plunged the blade deep into Faendal's chest, and the elf arched back in pain, his eyes screaming a thousand tales of betrayal, and then he went limp.

After the ritual, a cultist addressed Alden, and asked why he offered up his follower instead of some random civilian. To this, he replied that he could always just hire another follower. Sabrina tried to kick at him, to strangle him, to do anything to him, but she was trapped. She couldn't move. She could only scream. So she screamed, and she screamed until she was shaken awake by her trusted friend, Alek'sir. Faendal and Alden had left early that morning in search of a shrine of Boethia. She screamed again, her throat burning with pain and rage.


	12. A New Enemy

A New Enemy

Sabrina didn't sleep that night. Instead, she spent the night yelling at every deity she could think of. How could they let that happen? Akatosh had created the dragons. He was responsible for the existence of the Dragonborn. So, she screamed at him. Mara, the goddess of marriage (and therefore family), had failed to protect any of her family. So, she screamed at her. The rest of the eight hadn't really had any responsibility, but she screamed at them all the same. Then there was Talos. The wannabe God. He was the patron of the Stormcloaks. The Dragonborn was a Stormcloak. Thus, he was also responsible. She screamed at him too, though she doubted that he was even out there. Oh well, still someone to yell at.

Nobody blamed her for the yelling. She had seen her brother die. Her dream had been confirmed by a traveler that had passed through that evening. Alek'sir stayed up to comfort her, and she welcomed his warm embrace, but nothing he could say or do could make it better. Finally, the day broke over the city's stone walls, and sunlight filtered through the windows. The sun's golden rays spread a warm light over the two. Alek'sir sat on the floor, his arms wrapped around Sabrina's frame. She had gone hoarse hours ago, and now was just sobbing, her body shaking with every breath. Finally, she quieted. Her breath became a soft, steady rhythm. Alek'sir carefully adjusted her on his chest, and then dozed off himself. It would be a week before they left Windhelm.

Since Sabrina wasn't one to go back on a promise, they headed to Riften. The shift in weather was a welcome change for their travels. Sunlight now dominated during the day, warming the travelers more and more as they headed south. Once they got far enough south to ignore whatever cold might surround them, Sabrina's thoughts turned to the future. After they completed their business in Riften, there was nothing for her to do. Perhaps more direction would appear once she arrived in Riften. Her stomach rumbled it's complaints, and she was reminded of her need to stay nourished.

Alek'sir nudged her and motioned for her to be quiet. She crouched down beside him, and he matched her stance. "Do you see that ugly bastard over there?" Alek'sir whispered. Sabrina nodded silently, and he went on. "That right there is a giant. They have a tendency to be rather territorial, though if you are really quiet, they can be snuck past. They aren't the brightest tools in the shed, but they can hear fairly well. Now here's the question: Do you want to attack it or sneak past?"

The question brought with it a few others. She had recovered from most of the damage that Rolff had done to her, bust she was still hesitant to move in certain ways. It still hurt her lower regions to crouch for too long, and she got the feeling that sneaking would involve a fair amount of that. On the other hand, she didn't want to use magic again in combat until she had more control. Yes, she could lift a pebble and remove someone's eye, but that was when she was relatively calm. In actual battle, which she really hadn't had much experience in, her control was much less developed, and her power had a tendency to get away from her. She didn't need to pass out again. Then there was the question of protection. She still had yet to get a new set of armor, as it would take a good two weeks to get herself a new set, at least one that was fitted correctly. Finally, she solidified her decision.

"We attack. But I'm not confident enough in my magic to use it now, and I want to start focusing more on actual fighting with blades and bows. Besides, this bow you got me needs to be used." She smiled as she drew the ebony bow from its holster on her back. Alek'sir had designed it himself. It allowed a small portion of the bow to be held, and yet not have to slide the bowstring across her face every time she pulled it out.

Alek'sir's head bobbed up and down in silent agreement. He himself drew his bow, and loosely strung an arrow. Sabrina lithely leapt atop the rock they had been hiding behind, and drew her bow. A well placed shot could end this fight before it even began, so she took her time lining up the shot. Her fingers straightened, and the arrow leapt through the air, eagerly sailing towards the eye socket of the massive brute. The arrow sank deep into its intended target, and the giant staggered back, falling to one knee before keeling over onto his face, driving the arrow out the back of his skull. Alek'sir was yelling excitedly, and at first Sabrina thought that it was because of her impressive shot, but upon turning around to bow mockingly, she found herself facing a twenty foot tall man with graying hair. His skin was covered in impression tattoos, and over his bare shoulder, a small log with a very large rock lashed to its end sat, clearly ready to crush her skull.

A small gasp escaped her lips, and she was riveted in place as the giant started to bring his crude club down on her. Alek'sir slammed into her, saving her from becoming Sabrina jelly. He shouted something about a distraction, and then rushed off to attack the beast again. His familiar appeared by his side, and immediately began biting at the giant's ankles. Alek'sir had his sword in his hand now, and his magical arm had split into two distinct arms, one carrying a shield, the other frosting over as he prepared to throw an icy spike at the large humanoid. Seeing an opportunity, Sabrina rushed foreword, stowing her bow on her back as she ran, and then drawing her dual axes. The brute didn't notice her leaping over rocks behind him, her silver hair fluttering in the breeze. She raised one of her axes and cleaved his Achilles tendon, which was the size of her forearm. Quickly, she yanked her blade free from his ankle, blood spurting out while he groaned in pain. She leapt forward and buried her axe in his other heel, effectively bringing his form crashing down. Alek'sir scrambled atop his neck, and with a few precise slashes, severed the giant's jugular, and blood sprayed across the rocks.

Adrenaline was pumping through Sabrina's body, and for once, she felt neutral about the fight. She didn't hate her target. She simply accepted that the beast must be slain in order for her to stay alive. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small part of her worried about this calculating view, but she dismissed the thought. She and Alek'sir searched the camp, and were pleased to find several hundred golden septims.

They hadn't gone thirty yards past the camp before they came across the largest skeleton Sabrina had ever seen. Large wings spread across the ground, and a giant maw lay wide open beneath the dragon's skull. Sabrina looked around the skeleton, and then, seeing how sharp the teeth were, asked Alek'sir to pull the eye teeth. He grunted and groaned a bit with the effort, but finally pulled the razor sharp teeth free. Each was easily as long as her forearm, though they were surprisingly light weight. These would go well on the blade mounts that her bow had.

The guards at the gate to Riften tried to get her to pay a fee to enter the city. Alek'sir, not feeling like being civil had grabbed each of them by their necks and slammed them against the gate. In very clear terms he explained that there would be no fee paying. The guards agreed.

Sabrina visited the local blacksmith, and he readily agreed to mount her dragon teeth to her bow. It only took a couple of hours, and when he was done, the bow was a weapon to be feared, both at long range and up close. It's thin yet powerful arms curved back, forming an "x" with the handle in the middle. The grip was tall enough to be held with both hands, and the teeth, which had been thinned and sharpened even more, curved the opposite direction from the arms, giving the bow two hooked blades that gleamed white in any light. Alek'sir saw the weapon, and was taken aback. He ran his hands over the blades, careful not to touch them, and then asked if he could give the bow more power. As powerful as it was, Sabrina agreed. Alek'sir took the weapon back to his room at the local Inn, and spent several hours there. Periodically, a flash of bluish light would light up the cracks around his door, and then all would be quiet again. When he returned the weapon, it came with a warning: never shoot this at anyone who you did not want to freeze. The ivory blades had daedric symbols carved into their sides, which glowed whitish blue, the color of magical ice.

Before she retired for the night, Sabrina took a walk through the town. The warm breeze from the river that flowed through the city smelled slightly of the sea. Plants grew in pots all around the city, and flower boxes above her head trailed ivy along most buildings. Children ran along the docks, playing tag. On the level below the city, houses were cut into the foundation of the city. Riften was very much a living city, and Sabrina loved it. She came to a shabby looking building whose sign read, "Honorhall Orphanage." It certainly stood out. Every building around it was in good condition, especially the temple of Mara, which was decorated with white marble and gold. Inside, an old woman could be heard yelling at her charges, and then small voices agreed in fear. "Do you hear me? None of you are getting adopted. Nobody wants you. You'll stay here until we can get rid of you, and then you are someone else's problem. Understand?"

No wonder Aventus Aretino, the boy who wanted her dead, had run away. This woman was a bitch. Sabrina knew she would feel no regret after killing the old crone. She deserved everything she was going to get. That was a problem for another night though. Tonight, sleep.


	13. A New Family

A New Family

Perhaps it was the prospect of earning a few septims, but Brynjolf seemed like someone who Sabrina could trust. This trust couldn't be full trust, as the man had asked her to pick the lock on a safe and then plant the stolen merchandise on another merchant, but hey, at least he was being honest with her. Her fingers weren't used to being so careful, and she broke a few lockpicks, but eventually she got the safe open without being detected. Inside, she found a few pieces of jewelry, as well as some jewels. An intrusive thought kept hammering away at the back of her mind, urging her to just clean the safe out, but she resisted the thought, and picked through until she found the ring Brynjolf had described. Silently, she closed the safe door and went to find the other merchant.

Brynjolf had said that she would get a distraction, but the show he was putting on was more than that. He was successfully making money while setting someone else up for theft. His commanding voice called everyone to look at his new elixir, Falmer blood. It was said to cure any disease, including blindness, and they could get it for only fifty septims per vial. Sabrina shook her head and snuck up behind the unlucky woman. Brynjolf's instructions had been clear: place the ring in her satchel. That was great, as well as ridiculously easy, but Sabrina wanted a challenge. She placed the ring in the middle of her balled fist for thirty seconds to warm it up, and then slipped it smoothly onto the woman's middle finger. The ring fit perfectly, and the woman didn't notice.

It was a good twenty minutes later when the merchants came to blows over the theft, and when the guards intervened, they found that the woman had clearly stolen the ring. Not only had she stolen the ring, she then had the nerve to wear it in front of the one who had crafted it himself. With this evidence, the woman was sentenced to three years in jail over the next few days. Sabrina probably should have felt guilty for her actions, but to be honest, it was rather invigorating to play a part in other people's doom.

Normally, she would have told Alek'sir all about it, but he had gone to help an old friend of his, a man named Miraak. It seemed like an odd name, but hey, to each his own. In any event, Alek'sir would be gone for a few months, and had told her to try and relax. Pffft, like that was going to happen. It had only been three days, and she was already doing this.

She approached Brynjolf, and his grin was contagious. He slyly handed her a pouch that felt remarkably heavy for such easy work, and then beamed as he asked, "Where did you learn to do that? I've never seen an apprentice thief work so well on her first try. Congratulations!" Sabrina just blushed, and he continued, "If you want more work like this, you can find us in the Ratway."

Well that was an interesting thought. Sabrina had always thought of herself as an upright type of person, but maybe it was time for a change. Being a loyal followers had gotten her brother killed, so maybe it was time for her to become a rebel. Besides, these people could probably help her with her plans to get back at Alden. At the very least, she could get some new contacts.

After some consideration, she found her way to the Ratway. The place was named correctly, that was for sure. Everywhere she shone her torchlight, small black bodies scurried away. Every once in awhile, the rats' bigger cousins would appear. These things, known as skeevers, were the size of a large housecat. They were likely to carry any number of diseases, and were quite happy biting at humanoid ankles and calves. Sabrina hacked and chopped at the creatures, working her way further into the sewers, looking for anywhere that might be a base for a thieves guild. Finally, she found an old sign that read, "The Ragged Flagon."

Inside, a small group of people was standing around a table, where Brynjolf was telling a story about a young lass who he had invited to join them. The tale seemed a bit exaggerated, but Sabrina was glad for the introduction anyway. Timidly, she cleared her throat, and every person in the room stopped and stared at her. A few moments passed, each one feeling like an eternity, and then Brynjolf announced that she was the one.

Three hours later, Sabrina found herself the owner of a new set of armor, and a new mission. The armor was brand new, and mostly leather. It covered everything quite well, and had tight, easily worked joints with felt between each leather piece, to stop the creaking that was associated with wearing anything made of leather. Steel plates had been inserted into the larger parts of the armor to make it more capable of withstanding an enemy's blade, and the stitching in the leather was finely worked, ensuring many years of use before it wore out. All in all, the armor was very well made, and would serve her well.

Her new mission was nothing difficult, but it would prove to the other members of the guild that she was worth the time of day that they would have to spend on her to train her to be better. All she had to do was sneak into an imperial camp near the southern border of Skyrim and retrieve the captain's helmet. Nothing special.

Sabrina walked south at a healthy pace, timing herself to arrive in the darkest part of the night. As she walked, her thoughts drifted over the past few weeks, and a plan started to form in the back of her mind. She had seen the power that Alden possessed, and she knew that she would burn herself up trying to defeat him, but if she had a team…

The campfires of the imperial outpost flickered up ahead, and Sabrina began to take a more stealthy stance. A patrol strolled past her, and she hunkered down into a small depression in the ground until they had passed. Silently, she crept up to the back of the tent which she believed to be the captain's quarters. She lifted the corner of the darkened tent and was dismayed to find herself staring directly into the eyes of a dark Elf. His blood red eyes blinked twice before he whispered to her, "Hey, care to help me get out of here?"

Sabrina weighed her options. On the one hand, if she helped him out, she would then have to make sure neither of them got detected as they made their escape. If she didn't, he would likely call out to the guards and alert them to her presence. Quickly, she decided to help. She dragged him out by his collar, and then untied his ankles. Motioning for him to stay there, she quickly stopped by the captain's tent and relieved the man of his helmet. Returning, she and the gray skinned Elf made their way out of camp the only way which was not patrolled, South. As they worked their way up the mountain trail, she began prodding him about who he was. She didn't very well want to have saves someone who had murdered soldier's wives or something of the sort.

His responses were rather forthcoming. "Hi," he bowed slightly. "My name is Amrondiil, and I'm from Dawnstar. I was looking for a Dwarven ruin nearby, when I came across a stray horse. Naturally, I figured that it was just a stroke of luck, and I hopped on. My luck ran out though, as it turned out to be an imperial legion horse. I was arrested for horse thievery, and I've been in that camp ever since." Sabrina nodded, and cut his hands free. He continued, "I am what some might call a tinker. I've been studying Dwarven mechanical creations for many years now, and I've begun experimenting on my own. I thought for sure I'd be fine once I found a place where I could build in peace, but no matter where I go, something seems to go wrong. Now I find myself in debt to you for your help. How can I repay you for saving my life?"

Sabrina thought for a minute, and then said, "Before we go about settling debts, let me tell you my story." With that, she began her sad story, though she toned down the parts about her own power. She didn't want to scare him off. When she was finished, they had reached a flat place at which a small camp could be pitched. The two of them set about starting a small fire, being careful to shield its light from those below. Finally, they sat down and began to eat.

Between bites of rabbit haunch, Amrondiil said, "It appears that you are in need of assistance once more. You have saved my life, now let me help you in your quest. All I need is a safe place to do my work. With your help, I'm sure a place could be cleared. What do you say?"

Sabrina nodded slowly, and then said, "I will accept your help, but how will I keep you fed? I'm not rich in any way."

A sly smile spread across his face, and he leaned towards her. "It sounds like you need more followers to join your cause."

* * *

Author's note: Many thanks to my amazing girlfriend for proofreading all the chapters leading up to this, as well as those to come. She has also been a great encouragement to me as I work on this story.


	14. Valley of Promise

Valley of Promise

Dawn broke across the jagged rocks in a glorious burst of golden rays. Amrondiil sat in his bedroll by the charred remains of the fire, his gaze drifting across the sprawling landscape below. To the north, the tallest mountain in all of Skyrim rose majestically. The mountain was called the Throat of the World, and the title fit. It was taller than everything, and its twin peaks glowed golden-yellow, the snow reflecting the sun's rays across the valley. At the base of the mountain, a small village could be seen. Smoke curled from the chimneys in a dozen houses,giving the appearance of a hazy wall that rose above the quaint place. Sabrina could remember going there once as a youngster with her father.

It had been a happy time. The civil war hadn't started yet, and everyone had been happier. She had been eight years old, and her father had promised that they would go on a trip for her birthday, so they had gone to Ivarstead. Because it was so high up, even though it was at the base of the mountain, the village felt as though it was early spring when it was the middle of summer in places like Riften and Whiterun. She had snuck out of the room early in the morning, and had gone exploring. She had waded into the creek under the bridge and was splashing water on anything nearby that moved when a guard had appeared on the bank. Without thinking, she had cupped her hands and propelled a small tidal wave all over his legs. She could remember the initial wave of fear that had washed over her when she realized what she had done. The guard hadn't minded though. In fact, he took his helmet off and sat down on a rock nearby before splashing her right back. The two went back and forth for a bit before they both broke out in uncontrollable laughter. They had spent the morning playing in the river together, until the captain of the guard appeared on the bridge above them with her father at her side. The two of them seemed to be trying to look very stern, but they both failed. She had never gotten the man's name, but she was sure he wasn't a guard anymore. She may have just left the house and may have looked to be in her late teens, but she was actually thirty-two years old. He was probably in his late fifties by now, which for humans meant he was getting old enough to switch to a more relaxed job.

Now, as she watched the shadows retreat from the hills surrounding the village from her high perch across the valley, she longed to go back. She decided that she would go there before she returned to Riften with the captain's helmet. She shifted her gaze to the dark Elf with whom she had shared her campfire. He still stared out over the valley, his eyes glossed over as though in a trance. He wasn't exactly as she had remembered from the night before. His ruby eyes reflected the sunrise, making it look as though he had fire flickering in dark pools of blood. His skin, while gray, held a youthful quality. She was sure he had been smaller last night though. Perhaps it was the darkness, but she was sure she would have remembered such strong arms. He wore no shirt, and as he rocked slowly front to back, the muscles in his back rippled underneath a multitude of scars. Dark lines crossed his back at odd angles, clearly the result of being whipped. Patches of skin were glossy and raised, sad indicators of burns. She stood and stretched, though only so she could see the front of his body. It too was scarred, though most of these seemed to be cuts and burns. There were no signs of whipping across his chest or stomach.

Amrondiil turned his head and looked into Sabrina's eyes. Behind the steeled expression, she could sense great amounts of pain. A slow smile spread across his face, and she suddenly felt as though she was sitting too close to the fire. Her cheeks reddened, and she looked away, though not for long. She glanced back, and his small smile widened until she could see his perfect ivory teeth. He was quite handsome, she had to admit. He was big, so big in fact, that he put most nords to shame. His face, however, retained his elven genealogy. His jaw, while strong, seemed slightly narrow. His ears pointed at the ends, though not as much as most elves'. Around his strong yet slender face, curly black hair fell. His chin bore a goatee which he had obviously been working on for some time, as it held small braids that worked their way down from his lower lip, resting atop the rest of his thick beard. Scruff grew on his cheeks, evidence of his imprisonment. When he spoke, his voice had a soft tone that hadn't been there before, as though whatever he had been thinking about had affected him deeply. His voice, a pleasant baritone, awakened a new feeling in Sabrina, one that she hadn't felt in years. No, there was no way she could have a crush on someone she had saved. That was ridiculous. But still…

"The sunrise has always awakened a hopeful part of me." Amrondiil's voice interrupted her thoughts. "What is your greatest desire? I know it's an odd question to ask, but you seem to have more hope than most that I've met in my travels."

Sabrina shook her head. "My hopes and dreams have fallen by the wayside since my family died. But I suppose I have some dreams. I'd like to have a place where I can relax. Someplace away from all the politics and the war. That and I would like to find someone to share it with."

Amrondiil nodded solemnly, his curls shifting around his neck. "I know how you feel. Sorry to switch topics, but have you looked the other way on this plateau?"

Sabrina shook her head and craned her neck around to see behind her. Behind her, a valley stretched left and right. A set of ancient nordic stairs wound down between boulders, working their way down to the valley floor. In the west end of the valley, a domed structure rose above an altar. On the top of the dome, a dragon sat, his head inclined, as though he was listening to voices in the cold winter air. The sun broke through the clouds in a dozen places, sending golden shafts of light to illuminate the snow covered ground. Sabrina gasped at the beauty spread out before her. Riften was alive, green, and full of vibrance, but this, this was purity. Serene silence, clean snow-covered landscape, and a perfect image of soft solitude. Sabrina knew immediately that this was the place. This was the place where she could go to leave the world behind.

A clattering of bones broke the silence, and Sabrina scrambled to reach her weapons. She grabbed her dual axes, and tossed one to Amrondiil, who caught it with the awkwardness of someone unused to wielding such a weapon. "Do you have a dagger or something?" Amrondiil croaked. "I find axes to be too unwieldy." Sabrina scowled and handed him her orcish daggers. He sighed in relief, handing the axe back.

There are two ways that a skeleton can come to life and fight those that it encounters. One, a mage that specializes in conjuring up the dead can summon a skeleton to aid them in a fight. The other way is much more ancient. If you had been cursed to become a draugr by the gods, eventually you would lose the flesh and skin that covered your bones. However, since you still had to serve as an undead warrior, your bones would not fall apart, but rather stay together and wander around until a fight broke the connections between the bones. Only when your bones had been sundered could you fully rest in death. Now, side by side, Sabrina and Amrondiil faced the horde of skeletal warriors that clamored up the hill, all of them cursed by the devines to fight until destruction.

The warriors advanced, their bones creaking, resisting the command to move. The skeletons in front gnashed their teeth, challenging the duo to try and kill them. Suddenly, Amrondiil stretched his hand out, and a fiery ball of magic wrapped around the handle of the dagger which it bore. A tornado of fire erupted behind the bony warriors, and a woman spiraled up from the ground. Her entire body flamed, and though it was only half made of what appeared to be charred wood, the flames made her appear whole. She too had fireballs in her hands, and she began throwing them into the backs of the skeletons. A massive shadow swept across the snow.

Above them, a dragon flapped his wings. It's scaly underbelly was sky blue, and glowed faintly as his voice thundered across the mountains. Ice blasted from his mouth, freezing the rest of the skeletons in their tracks. Sabrina, noting the dragon's helpfulness rather than hostility, charged into the frozen skeletons and shattered them with her axes, spinning and hacking like a hurricane of death. The dragon flapped its massive wings, creating billowing clouds of flying snow. His voice rolled out once again, deep and rich, but this time in the common tongue. "I am Iisyolwuld, and I welcome you to my valley. I have watched you, and I have seen who you are. I offer my valley and my assistance as you fight my arch nemesis, the Dragonborn. Meet me at the dome, we have much to discuss."

The elves looked at each other in amazement as the dragon flew back to its perch on the dome. As they walked down the steps and into the valley, Amrondiil talked about the things that he wanted to do to improve the valley, to make it his. Theirs. Snow covered the ground, making the ground slick in places. Sabrina found herself wrapping her fingers around his arm more than once to steady herself, before he finally offered his arm. She took it, somewhat awkwardly, and the two made their way to the giant dome upon which the friendly dragon sat. Sabrina had never thought about it, but dragon's were actually quite the intellectually advanced creatures, smarter even than most nords. Now, to her surprise, she found that the dragon was humming a happy little tune to himself. He actually had quite the bass voice, and his humming sounded quite pleasing.

Two hours later, they found themselves chatting with a rather friendly dragon, who had started telling jokes. Sabrina knew she had to get back to the thieves guild before the sun set, so she said her goodbyes. Amrondiil, wanting to be the gentleman, walked her out of the valley. As they walked, they talked about the future, and what she should do to bring in more people. Finally, they reached the last stair. Amrondiil stepped forward, and his foot shot out from under him. He spun as he fell, pulling her on top of him. They landed with their faces inches apart. His hot breath made her skin tingle, and in his ruby eyes she could see a spark, a small flash of desire. He closed his eyes, and she was about to kiss him when she stopped herself. She had only just met him. She had to get to know him better. She gave him a peck on the cheek and rolled off. They parted ways, her to the thieves guild, and him back to the campfire.

As she walked, she thought about the day. She missed Alek'sir, but she was happy. She had a place where she could go, a place to escape it all. She also had two new friends, one of whom was causing her stomach to flip-flop every time she thought of him. How strange.


	15. No Tears for Blood

No Tears for Blood

Brynjolf patted Sabrina on the back as he congratulated her. It felt good to do something that hadn't ended in bloodshed. She had left Amrondiil out of her story, as well as the valley, which she had learned was called Arcwind Point. Vex sauntered up to her and leaned on Sabrina, her arm resting on her shoulder. From her gloved fingertips hung a fat leather pouch that made a clinking sound when she shook it. "Trade ya two hundred for that officer's helmet." Sabrina shrugged and handed off the shiny steel dome. Vex grinned and let the gold drop. It made it almost to Sabrina's knees before she caught it with her telekinesis. Vex nodded appreciatively, and then latched onto her wrist before dragging her out onto the pier.

The Ragged Flagon, headquarters of the thieves guild, was a tavern located in the tunnels below Riften. The actual room was quite massive, though only a third of it was usable space. On one side of the round room, a boardwalk type structure held the bar, as well as a few tables, where the members of the guild would gather to drink and tell stories. A pier extended from the bar area, and a few fishermen sat there, bottles of mead resting by their sides. The rest of the room was covered by water, all coming straight from the lake outside the city. The crystal clear water was home to a few types of fish, which nibbled at the bait the fishermen cast. All in all, it was a very relaxing place to spend one's time.

Vex, the woman who was now dragging her across the pier was a complicated woman. She had earned her name, as she was known to be quite vexing for anyone trying to make a move on her, which happened quite often. She was a rather good looking woman, with shoulder-length blonde hair, and hazel eyes. She was the self-proclaimed master of infiltration, and she worked out regularly to keep it that way. She moved much like a human version of a viper, advancing silently, ready to move at a moment's notice. Now, as she presented Sabrina to a rather shady looking woman, Sabrina could see a certain eagerness, as though she wanted to see all the world before it went and changed.

The woman who sat before Sabrina wore a hood to conceal her face, and spoke in an uninterested manner. Apparently, she could change Sabrina's face, make her look like someone else. She didn't see how this was helpful, and said so. Vex's face split into a sly grin, and she unbuckled the bracer on her right arm. "She did all this." Vex motioned to the full sleeve tattoo that covered her arm. Images of golden septims mixed with quotes about honor among thieves. "I want you to get a tattoo too, on me. Anything you want." Sabrina wasn't sure what to say, but she nodded gratefully, and pulled a piece of paper from her pack. She had thought about getting a tattoo before, but hadn't been able to find someone who was good enough to trust. Now, seeing what this woman could do, she was ready to do it.

Two weeks later, she stood naked in the mirror, admiring the artwork on her body. Black ivy weaved around her legs, spiraling up to her torso, where it made its way up her back. Branches wove around her midsection, and leaves wound below her breasts, ending between them. The main vines continued up to her arms, which they too wrapped around. Woven among the ivy leaves on her arms, a snake appeared on each arm, one deep green, the other navy blue. The scaly creatures had been tattooed with magical ink, something she would have to test out later, and had been done in such detail that one might shudder at first sight.

Sabrina gathered her armor, which she had taken to the local smith to have it adjusted. It now fit her snugly, and had a sheath for a dagger on the bottom of each wrist. The leather hood that covered her head had been augmented with a carved leather face shield that covered everything from the bottom of her eyes down to her neck, with cloth baffles over her nose and mouth to keep her breath from getting in her face. As she buckled the last clasp, she heard a commotion in the tavern, and went to look. Her face mask stowed beneath her chin when she wasn't using it, and on a whim, she pulled it up over her nose. What she saw in the tavern made her stomach lurch.

There, in all his bronze glory, stood Alden, the mighty Dragonborn. Brynjolf pulled him into the mix and began telling him about his first job,which was to collect some debts from the townsfolk. Sabrina's anger burned red hot, urging her to draw her daggers and end his life. Better judgment kept her at bay, but she knew that if he was going to be around, it would be best for her to leave this place behind. As she stalked past him, she could almost feel his arrogance, oozing like a tar pit around him.

Alden headed off on his mission, his armor clanking with every footstep. Brynjolf hadn't elected to tell him about the secret entrance yet, which made her happy, knowing that he would have to work his way through all the maze of tunnels to get back out of the tavern. She began gathering her things and saying goodbye to the people who had accepted her so readily. Vex was the only one who she trusted enough to tell the truth to, and she pulled the woman aside to explain why she had to go. She didn't know if she would be back, or even if there would be anything left for her to come back to. That bronze-clad bastard had a tendency to destroy everything good around him. She hoped that wouldn't happen here, but she couldn't trust herself to hope too much.

Alden returned as she was depositing most of the gold she had made over the last few weeks into her own personal safe in the vault. She had done quite well as a thief, given her natural stealthiness, and now had just over a thousand septims to show for it. Two hundred septims was all she would need for a while, so she decided to leave the rest in the guild bank. She could hear the discussion in the tavern, and was amazed at how blatantly arrogant a person could be. Brynjolf was holding a set of leather armor made for sneaking, and was trying to give it to the heavily armored man, but he kept refusing, saying that he would much rather steal things while wearing his current armor. That fool couldn't sneak up on a man cursed with both blindness and deafness if he tried, and here he was saying that he would bring the guild to greatness all by himself. For a small second, she almost hoped the guild fell apart.

On her way out of the city, she remembered the promise that she had made to the boy in Windhelm, and decided to pay the old hag in the orphanage a visit. She knew that the back door was never locked, so she hopped over the fence, and hid in the garden until nightfall.

Silence covered the city like a soft blanket as she stealthily slipped into the orphanage. Rows of beds lined each wall, and small faces protruded from the lumpy mounds atop each bunk. Sabrina pulled the blanket up over one little girl who was shivering, and then crept to the head mistress's room. A single candle lit the room, casting eerie shadows on the walls that danced back and forth like evil marionettes. The old woman sat alone in a wooden chair scooted up to a desk made of fine hardwood. Sabrina paused in the doorway and listened as a soft sobbing came from one of the children in their beds behind her.

A drop of liquid fell from the wall above her and landed by her knee. She glanced up and was horrified to see a whip hanging across pegs above the door. Small steel studs were woven into the leather, and the instrument of torture dripped with the blood of children. Pure hatred filled her, and she rolled forward, coming up silently behind the old woman's chair. A dagger rested on the woman's hip. Perfect, a weapon she could leave behind. She carefully reached a gloved hand out and slipped the dagger from its sheath, grasping it in her right hand. Her left hand hovered above the back of the woman's neck. Calling on the spirit of the deep green snake, her arm became covered in forest green scales, and a set of eyes protruded from her knuckles. Ghostly fangs stood from the palm of her hand, and these she drove into the woman's neck. Tho old woman tensed a bit as the paralysis of the poison now in her veins took effect. Sabrina recalled the snake, and her hand looked quite mundane once again. Carefully, she positioned the dagger in the woman's hand, while the woman's eyes grew wide with the silent screams of one who knows they are about to die but cannot stop it. Sabrina grasped the woman's wrist and plunged the knife into the gut of this personification of evil. The body slumped forward. Sabrina looked at the paper that had been the final reading material for the recently deceased, and shook her head. The woman was famous for denying every single application to adopt a child under her care, and here, the perfect candidate lay on her desk.

Sabrina picked up the woman's quill pen and dipped it into the pool of blood that was draining onto the floor. In big, bold letters she wrote "ACCEPTED" on the application. Her work done, she slipped out the door and headed for the hills. She didn't stop to rest until she reached Arcwind Point, where she found a letter which explained that both the dragon and Amrondiil had left to recruit another for her cause, a trader from Whiterun who was named Ysolda.

Thankfully, Amrondiil had not been idle for the last few weeks. The dome, which had once been only a skeleton made of stone, now bore Dwarven handiwork held glass panels that kept the inside warm and protected it from the elements outside the dome. Sabrina set her pack on the new grass that grew on the floor of the dome, and rested her head on it as she fell asleep.


	16. Execution

Execution

Why was the world spinning? Sabrina tried to open her eyes, but the muscles in her eyelids didn't respond immediately. Panic swept across her mind as she tried to raise her hand to her head. There was no response from her body. In fact, she wasn't sure she could feel her hand. Or her arm. Or really anything beyond her face. Concentrating, she managed to crack one eyelid slightly. She was laying on her back, as was evidenced by the cracked and weathered wood of the ceiling above her face. Her eyes slowly became easier to control, and she opened them both wide.

Her hands began to tingle and she fought hard to gain control of them. A woman stood over her, staring inquisitively from behind her blood red face mask. Blonde hair was tucked into a black leather hood. Her icy blue eyes were cold and calculating, telling tales of the many horrible things they had seen. More black leather hugged the woman's shapely body, conforming to every curve. A red leather chest plate hid what Sabrina guessed to be some sort of metallic core. Her arms were sheathed in more crimson leather, with spikes on the forearms. Her knuckles bulged, betraying steel knuckles in her gloves. Her feet wore red boots, and as she meandered over to the bookshelf in the corner, her silence surprised Sabrina. The leather-clad woman leapt into the air, and with a swift kick to the wall, mounted the book shelf.

Sabrina hadn't moved yet, for fear of betraying her capabilities, but she now had full feeling in her whole body. She did a mental inventory, and was surprised to find that the only thing she did not have on was the carved leather mask with which she hid her identity. Her daggers rested on the top of each wrist, her axes were looped through each of their holsters. Her bow was holstered on her back, and her quiver rested sideways beneath the small of her back. If this woman wanted her to be defenseless, she had failed royally.

Sabrina quickly rolled onto her belly and launched herself up and forward at the same time, pulling an arrow from her quiver and drawing her bow. Her muscles screamed at the sudden output of energy, but she held her bow steady. If this woman so much as twitched, she would take an arrow to the neck. "Who are you and what do you want?" Sabrina spat the words.

"Oh, me?" The woman tilted her head in mock innocence, "I'm your own personal stalker. Well, not because of who you are, but more what you did. You stole from me. From my… let's say organization."

Dread filled Sabrina's stomach. If there were more of these people… "What did I steal from you? I've stolen many things recently."

The leather-clad woman swung her leg lazily, apparently not caring that her life was a slip of a finger away. A long curved dagger hung at her hip, though she made no move toward it. Her voice suddenly filled with ice as she said, "A life. You stole a life from us. That child, Aventus was performing the Black Sacrament, a ritual that is meant to summon an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood. Instead, you beat us there and then you chose to complete the contract he offered. Grelod the Kind's life was not yours to take. It was ours."

Sabrina shuddered. She had heard of the Dark Brotherhood, but the stories she had heard had all been in the past. Nobody had seen the Dark Brotherhood in many years, at least not anything major. They were known to be killers who would eliminate anyone who you paid them to. "I've heard of you. Well, I've heard of the Dark Brotherhood. Aren't you just murderers for hire? Don't you just take the highest bid? Where is the honor in that?" Sabrina lowered her bow. If this woman wanted her dead, she would have been dead long ago.

The woman dropped to the floor. "Look," she said with a huff, "We don't just go on murdering sprees for the fun of it. Yes, we take pride in our work. We try to find the best possible ways to do things. But, we don't just go to the highest bidder. Just like you, we have honor. In fact, we actually would like you to join us. We just need to make sure that you have what it takes." The woman gestured behind Sabrina, and Sabrina turned around.

Sabrina had no idea how she had missed it. Against the far wall, three people knelt on the floor. Black canvas bags had been tied over each of their heads, and their hands had been tied behind their backs. Their ankles were also tied, and it was obvious from the lack of noise that they made that they had been gagged as well. There were two males, and one female. All were wearing only their underclothing. Each had a note tacked to their chest. The assassin explained, "Each one has done something to the man who hired us. He paid us for one death, and told us to choose between the three of them. This room is locked, and nobody get to leave this room until someone dies. I leave the choice to you." With that, she leapt back up onto the bookshelf and began sharpening her dagger.

Sabrina read each note with care. The first, the female, was young, and had a very well formed body. Her note read:

 _Wife._

 _Cheated with his best friend._

The second was a Khajiit, a cross between a very large cat and a human. He was not large, but rather fairly bony. Were it not for his tan and black striped fur, one probably could have seen his ribs when he inhaled. His not read:

 _Best friend._

 _Fucked his wife._

The final person, a tall Nord, was rather burly, and held himself with an air of pride. His note read:

 _Brother's Comrade._

 _Failed to protect brother._

Sabrina stepped back, unsure of who kill. Each had betrayed him in their own way, but none deserved to die because of it. Finally, she stepped forward and plunged her dagger into the Khajiit's chest. He had taken the man's wife, and he had known what he was doing. It was no failure, it was an act of determined choice. The cat's body hit the floor with a thud, and a pool of blood spread across the ground. She wiped her blade off on his furry back, and then turned to face the woman on the shelves.

The woman leapt down, landing without so much as a thump, and padded over to Sabrina. A key rested in her hand, and as she handed it to Sabrina, she winked and pulled her blood red face mask down. "The name is Astrid, the matron of the local Dark Brotherhood sanctuary. If you're interested, we are located near Falkreath. If you are going west, we are a quarter mile past the house that burned down earlier this year. Knock on the door, and when asked for the password, say 'Silence my Brother.'"

With that, she turned, and was gone in a split second, leaving Sabrina with two hostages and mixed emotions. She liked having people who she could count on, and they may prove helpful against the Dragonborn. She definitely wanted in, though she would stick to her own morals, regardless of what Astrid said. But to operate so close to her old home, she didn't know if she would be able to handle that. Nevertheless, she would try. She released the prisoners and was shocked to find that the woman was Grelka, a blacksmith from Riften. She thanked Sabrina over and over before heading out.

The man was also someone she recognized, a man named Galmar Stone-Fist. This man was the general of the entire rebellion army, and she held his fate in her hands. One slice with her dagger would bring untold chaos to her enemies, upsetting the entire rebel force for a while, giving her time to strike at the Dragonborn. Instead, she stayed her hand, and simply cut him loose. Before she let him go, she looked into his eyes and said, "Remember my face. Remember that I saved your life. When we meet again, it may very well be in the field of battle. Remember then the debt you owe me." Only then did she head for Falkreath. She had a past to face.

* * *

Author's note: I realize that my story differs from the game a bit here and there, but Sabrina is not the Dragonborn. Her experience is going to be different. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying this series. I'd love to hear any thoughts you in the community have!


	17. An Assassin Born

An Assassin Born

Sabrina felt like a weight was pressing down on her chest. She had entered the area where she had been raised a while ago. Everywhere she looked, something would trigger a memory, the happiest of which still brought tears to her eyes. It hadn't even been half a year since she had come across the gruesome scene. Her stomach churned on the walk up the path that led to her old home. She stopped when she came to the three mounds of dirt that now bore a luscious covering of fresh grass and violets. The shade of the old oak kept the sun from glaring down at the graves. The swing drifted back and forth in the gentle breeze, and a bird sat upon its blood-stained seat, whistling a cheerful tune. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in a few places, and one shaft of light shone like a spotlight on the marks scratched in the wooden plank that rose from the middle grave. Once, those marks had borne the name of her mother, but now the wood had cracked and split enough that it was illegible.

Since she was traveling in the area where she had been raised, she had decided to travel with her mask and hood on, so that nobody could recognize her. Now she pulled the hood back, revealing her platinum hair which shimmered in the shafts of woodland sun. The mask was pulled down too, and her beautiful womanly features were drawn from hiding. Tears welled up in her velvety purple eyes and trickled down her soft cheeks. All the strength in her legs left her as grief took over her body and she fell to her knees, sobbing. "Why did you do it?" she cried. "Why did you help him get in? You sacrificed your life for his freedom, and in return, all he has done is kill your son. I told Vex what happened. She looked into it, and the man you helped across the border was Alden, The Dragonborn. Why would you do that? Why?"

Her voice cracked, and she looked up at the sky, as though to speak directly to the gods. Her tears now ran down her neck, forming a watery bridge between her sorrow and the ivy that was tattooed on her neck. A soft green glow surrounded her, but she paid no attention to it as she cried out at the gods for their neglect. A furry little creature bounded up, his eyes glowing the same soft green, and burrowed under her arm. She looked down in wonder as the fox snuggled against her body. Hesitantly, she stroked his fur. The creature did not struggle, but rather seemed to enjoy it, so she removed her glove and continued to stroke his soft fur. Her tears stopped flowing so heavily, and she felt a warmth growing inside her chest. It was quite a few minutes later before she noticed the hand resting softly on her shoulder.

It felt like her mother was there, watching over her, trying to lessen her sadness. When she looked up to catch one last glimpse though, it was certainly not her mother who returned the gaze. "Hello child." The soft words carried a matronly tone, one of care for those whom she loved. The woman stood about five feet tall, and when Sabrina rose to speak with her, the woman only came to Sabrina's chin. Woman was a generalization, as the being that stood before her was not human at all. Her flesh, if it could be called that, was wood, though she was not stiff. Her body moved quite fluidly, and the warmth she generated would rival the sun's rays on a spring day. From the cracks between strands of wood, warm green light swirled, and it almost seemed to connect to the green glow in the fox's eyes. Instead of hair, she had a few branches that almost resembled antlers, and a hive of honeybees seemed to have taken up residence in the space between them. The woman's eyes were a soft forest green, like the color of moss. "I knew your mother, Sabrina of Falkreath. I promised her that I would protect you and your family if she ever disappeared, but it seems I failed quite miserably. I'm so sorry that I was only able to save you my dear."

Sabrina stumbled back, "What do you mean? How did you save me from anything?"

"I fear I have some explaining to do." The woman stepped back and leaned against the trunk of the old oak. "I am Chrysanthemum, and I am a spriggan; that is to say, a spirit of the forest. I can command the woodland animals to do as I wish. When the Thalmor approached your house, I knew I could save you if I directed the deer to run deep into the forest, so I sent him to his death in order to save you. There was nothing I could do for the others, for in the winter my powers are greatly weakened, and I cannot control larger beasts without great exertion. I'm so sorry my dear."

Sabrina wasn't sure what to say. With everything that had happened in the last few months, she almost wished that she had died with her family. Still, a larger part of her knew that she was going to be needed to save the world from Dovahkiin. She had a purpose now, and she was glad she was alive. She sat down next to the spriggan and the two of them spent the next few hours sharing stories of her mother.

Chrysanthemum finally stood and began to excuse herself before she said, "Sabrina dear, my sisters throughout Skyrim have been watching this Alden character, and I don't like the stories that they are telling. Those that have managed to avoid his killing frenzies have told tales of murderous rampages in which he will kill anything that moves, all the while laughing. He once took down three bears at the same time. Please be careful. My sisters and I will do our best to make his life hell, but we can only do so much."

Sabrina nodded solemnly, and the spriggan hugged her goodbye. The fox followed the motherly forest spirit off into the trees, and Sabrina gathered herself to leave. Just as she was about to leave, a sudden urge came over her, and she began to concentrate on the large granite stone that rested by the tree. The large rock rose into the air, splitting into three six-foot-tall blocks. Sabrina summoned a thin stream of sand and carved each with intricate detail, until a figure stood at the head of each grave. Above her father, a saber-toothed tiger stood proud, its teeth bared and its eyes wild. Her mother lay beneath a graceful doe, and her sister beneath a prancing pony. Each statue bore the name of its respective person upon its pedestal.

Sabrina wiped a tear from her eye as she walked away from her childhood home. As much as it hurt to remember, the past brought her strength. As she stood by the deathly black waters of the pond by the black door emblazoned with a skull with a bloody handprint on its forehead, she vowed to take out everyone responsible for her family's death. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

A voice swirled around her, thick as syrup. "What is the music of life?" The words oozed with an effect that made her drowsy. Her brain felt as though she had drunk an entire case of mead. She fought to remember what the woman had said in the shack. What was it, "Severance my brother?" Her tongue felt thick, and her lips wouldn't quite form the first word. As she stumbled through the words, she heard herself say, "Silence… My… Brother…" Her mind suddenly cleared, and the door clunked as it unlocked, its soul accepting her presence. She followed the corridor behind the door, and found herself in a small room. A blonde woman stood in the opposite door, leaning against the cold stone wall. When she saw Sabrina, she stepped forward.

The woman's voice revealed exactly what Sabrina had hoped. This was the woman from the shack. She spun her dagger in her hand and brought it up to Sabrina's chin. "Welcome home Sabrina."


	18. Flames and Friends

Flames and Friends

Astrid had been nice enough, as had everyone else. Since she was the new recruit, nobody really expected her to last long, so they just acted friendly and helped her with the few problems she had. Of all of the assassins she had met, only one had really helped her learn to kill people better in the few hours she had been inside the sanctuary. The old mage, Festus Krex, had been the owner of a few extra books of magic, and had generously given her the spells to control ice and fire. Just as telekinesis had been, both ice and fire were difficult for her to control at first, though she was sure she would get better with time. Her fingers tingled with the new magic, and the walk to Whiterun flew by while she practiced flicking snowballs at the trees she passed.

When she approached the gate of the dragon-burned husk of what used to be Helgen, a shout split the silence of the forest. A squirrel chattered and ran off, and a small man dressed in iron armor that was much too large for him peered over the wall. A female archer nocked an arrow at the top of the tower to her right. Bandits. Of course they took over. Sabrina readied her defenses and shouted up, "Well, what do you want?"

The small man at the top of the wall stuttered for a bit and then replied, "Well, I'd very much like you to hand over any weapons or valuables you have, and then I'd very much like to see what you are hiding under that armor. So, if you will kindly comply…" The archer in the tower aimed carefully.

Sabrina raised her hands, and telekinetically grasped the arrow. Diving toward the fire-blackened gate, she drew her axe and the archer let loose. Unfortunately for the archer, the arrow didn't move, but instead exploded in her face from the force of the bowstring hitting it. Wood splinters filled her face, and Sabrina moved to the gate. She slammed into the wood with her shoulder, and the burned wooden bars holding the gate shut splintered and broke, letting the gates swing wide. She fell into a roll, slipping past a bandit holding an iron sword, and came up with her dagger in his back. Twisting it loose, she sheathed it and drew her other axe. Two more burly men came charging down the hill ahead of her, one with a battleaxe raised above his head, and the other wildly swinging a mace. Behind her, the shaky little man from the wall was clambering down a ladder as fast as he could.

Sabrina charged the man on the right, and just as he was about to bring his axe down for a crushing blow, she dodged to the left, slipping between the bandits and spinning with her axes outstretched. The blades caught each of the bellowing fools in the neck, and their heads rolled from their bodies. The headless bodies stumbled and fell to the ground, blood spraying across the ground with each of their final heartbeats.

The shaky bandit was now running as fast as his thin legs could carry him. Sabrina, feeling a maniacal power, reached out her hands, letting the cold power of ice shoot from her fingertips. The ground in front of the skinny bandit became a massive sheet of ice, and before he could correct his course, his legs slipped out from under him, and his hind end hit the ice with a sickening crack. Sabrina approached the writhing man, and placed a foot on his rump. The man screamed in pain. His tailbone had been shattered, and she was applying merciless pressure to the broken bones.

"You asked me to show you what I've got under this armor." Sabrina snarled. "Well here you go. Now you understand what I hide in here. I hide pain, anger, and resentment. I hide guilt and shame. Now you too shall feel pain. You too shall feel regret and suffering. You were a pervert." Sabrina raised her foot above his back, "Now you shall never know the feeling of a woman's touch." Her foot dropped into the groveling man's spine, shattering it completely at his waist. A scream of agony echoed off the walls as she calmly began climbing the stairs in the tower.

Upon reaching the top, she swiftly executed the archer with her own bow, stabbing it through the woman's jaw and up in into her brain. Below her, the man was crawling on his stomach, trying to reach shelter without the use of his legs. A wave of regret washed over her. Who was she? Sure the guy had been perverted, but he didn't deserve to suffer until he died a slow death. That was something Alden would do, and she would have no part of such atrocities. She raised her hand and closed her fist. A gout of flames shot down to the crippled man, engulfing him in flickering fire.

She took the road to Riverwood, though she decided to skirt around the village unnoticed rather than answer the myriad of questions they they would inevitably ask about Faendal. She wasn't sure she could talk to people she didn't know about him yet. It was too fresh. As she walked, she contemplated the person she was becoming. She had almost let a man live with pain she had caused. She was changing, and she needed to get ahold of herself.

Before she got to Whiterun, she met a wood Elf named Andria that, who was her whole reason for coming to Whiterun in the first place. Nazir had said to kill him, so kill him she would. He was a hunter, and he was on his way out to kill some deer for his stall in the market. Being part wood Elf herself, she offered to help him hunt. The two of them hunted a deer with exceptional ability, and before long, he stood over the deer, about to skin it. Sabrina knew that this would be the perfect time, and she drew her bow silently and took aim. She calmly released the string, and the arrow flew true, lodging in Anoriath's spine, the tip protruding from his adam's apple. He turned, clutching his neck, and she padded over to him. His eyes screamed at the betrayal and then widened with the unmistakable fear of his own mortality. The bow's enchantment began creeping through his body, and his skin began to appear frosted. She bent over and whispered into his ear, "The Dark Brotherhood sends its regards." Winking, she pushed the dying Elf over onto his side and dropped the order to kill him on his body. His body convulsed a few times, and then froze solid.

She herself needed food, so she skinned the deer and kept the edible parts. Then, she headed for the tavern to talk to Saadia. They had a lot of catching up to do. The two spent the rest of the evening catching up. Lydia, Alden's thane, was now traveling with the Dragonborn. A dark Elf had come and visited Ysolda with a business offer, and she had accepted. Also, there was a small army of bandits taking over the Valtheim towers to the east. Sabrina told Saadia everything that had happened since they had last seen each other, and Saadia was crushed by her friend's pain. When it came to Amrondiil though, Saadia perked up. She began asking questions rapid fire, and Sabrina just laughed and told her to slow down. After five or six meads, the women found themselves singing by the fire, all the while trying not to fall over. Finally, they both went to bed, blissfully unaware of the events that would unfold in the morning.


	19. Dragonborn Rising

Dragonborn Rising

Sabrina woke to the sound of boisterous laughter coming from the floor below. She sat bolt upright when she realized that she recognized both of the voices that were mumbling jovially from the tavern below. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that she had been sleeping on the lower bunk in Saadia's room, and she slammed her head into the bed above her with a thud. A large afro appeared from the top bunk, and Sabrina lurched back against the wall before she realized that it was Saadia.

"Hey, you ok down there?" Saadia mumbled, still half asleep. Sabrina couldn't help herself, and burst out laughing. Saadia's face was framed by the mass of curly black and grey hair that Sabrina knew, but it was much larger than it had ever been. Coils of hair stood straight out from her head at odd angles, though one entire side was perfectly flat from her laying on her side.

"Oh, oh, yes, I'm fine." Sabrina responded. She finally regained her composure and padded to the door in her undergarments while Saadia began to softly snore again. The air outside the covers was cool, and goosebumps rose on her mostly naked body. She cracked the door, but was still unable to hear as well as she would have liked, so she crept down the stairs, her bare feet making almost no sound. The kitchen, which was right by the base of the stairs, sent up tantalizing smells of pancakes and bacon sizzling on large pans. As she crept by the frying pans, she nimbly lifted two pieces of bacon from the sizzling oil and held them with a towel, nibbling on her prize while she listened to the conversation at the bar.

Two men sat with their backs to her, deeply engrossed in conversation. They could have probably worn each other's armor due to their matching size, though each was armored in a fashion that resembled their styles of fighting, both of which Sabrina knew. The big brute wore gleaming bronze armor that was clearly Dwarven in design, and on his back a long curved two-handed sword rested in its sheath, almost emanating an evil aura. His helmet sat on the bar next to him, and Sabrina noticed something new on it. The eye holes now were black as night, with magical burning eyes peering through the darkness, even though no head inhabited its dome. His gauntlets had been removed for ease of drinking as well, and his forearms were visible, now covered in tattoos depicting souls writhing in agony under the Dragonborn's watchful eye. The ink must have been enchanted, because the souls were actually moving across his skin. The figures almost seemed to be trying to get anyone's attention that they could, like they were actual souls trapped in his arms. That wasn't possible though, right? She thought back to the soul gem stashed in her pack; Alek'sir had given it to her, saying that anytime she needed help or got lonely, she should summon the ancient warrior within it. She hadn't found the need yet, but perhaps one day. She directed her thoughts back to the man before her. His muscles rippled under unusually pale skin, though she supposed that wearing armor like that would probably stop the sun. His hair was long, and draped almost to his shoulders.

The dark Elf who sat beside him wore Bosmer armor, which consisted of three-inch straps of leather overlaid upon each other which rather resembled a rib cage, with steel straps tucked under each leather strap. This gave him decent armor while allowing him to move silently and very quickly. His hair was long as well, though he kept his tied in a ponytail. At each side of Amrondiil's lithe body, an ebony dagger sat, a magical glow emanating from each, both the sickly green of magical poison, which Sabrina figured was probably an enchantment of paralysis. Every part of her wanted to run over to him and ride his manhood right there at the bar, but she restrained herself. Instead, she listened closely.

"Rather glad that winter is over." Alden commented. "I've been fighting dragons in the snow for months now, and it's quite bothersome. I had me an elven companion a while ago, Gods rest his soul, that floated above the snow, but I just sink like a rock in this here heavy armor. It makes it difficult, hiking about, saving people and their things from all manners of evil."

Amrondiil sipped his drink and nodded before replying, "I suppose I don't appreciate my elven gifts that much, but I agree, winter is no fun. At least your armor keeps you warm when the snow flies. Mine simply stops the snow from being on my skin, which is nice, but not exactly comfortable." Alden grunted, and Amrondiil went on, "So what brings you to Whiterun?"

Alden squared his shoulders a bit in pride and responded, "I've finally found a way to kill Alduin, the head dragon, permanently. Now I just need to find him, and I figure one of his minions would know where he is, so I'm going to catch one in the keep later today. Finally going to save this whole bloody world from the wanker."

Before Amrondiil could reply, a guard walked up and plopped down on the stool next to Alden. "Did you hear about old Nazeem? Someone finally got tired of his high headedness and killed the fucker. His wife found him in the ditch by the Drunken Huntsman all drained of blood, with a bite mark on his neck. Got ourselves a vampire problem, we do. I'd ask you to take care of it, Dragonborn, but the Jarl just sent me down here to fetch you to catch a dragon. He says he's ready. I think it's a bad idea, but he's the Jarl, so if he wants to burn his castle down, he's welcome to it. Anyway, he said to head up whenever." With that, the guard got up and left with Alden on his tail, hurriedly putting his armor back on. Sabrina gasped as he turned and revealed a grin that contained a set of long fangs. He was the vampire menace.

A loud smack and the sharp sting of post-slap pain resounded from her scantily clad rear, and she quickly turned to find an old woman dressed as a cook standing there with a wooden spoon in her hand. "You shouldn't be sneaking around an inn in your underclothes Missy." the old woman chided. "Someone might come up and slap your bottom, though probably in a more sexual way than I just did. Oh, and I better not catch you stealing any more of my bacon. Now, go get yourself clothed and come back down for a real breakfast. You look like you could use it."

Sabrina's face reddened, much as her pale butt was doing, and sprinted up the stairs sheepishly.

Sabrina spent the rest of the day getting to know her new merchant ally, Ysolda, and then found Amrondiil near sunset.

Sounds of a dragon fighting the Dragonborn emanated from the keep, and she and Amrondiil sat on top of the roof of the building that housed the companions, who were an ancient clan of legendary warriors who followed Talos when he conquered Tamriel. They watched the sun set over the distant mountains, and she snuggled closer to him. His warm breath tickled her ear as he spoke softly about some of the inventions he was working on, and finally she could take it no more. She turned and placed her hands on either side of his face, pulling it close to hers, and looked deep into his eyes. A million rubies sparkled in pools of mixed pain and excitement, drawing her in. Their lips touched, and the world around her went still. All of her pain and suffering seemed a million miles away as she lost herself in him. He pulled her closer with his strong arms, and she felt safe, like no matter what came after her, she would be sheltered from any storm. As they kissed, a dragon screamed in the distance and flew into the sunset, a bronze warrior gleaming on its back.


	20. Tranquility and Old Friends

Tranquility and Old Friends

Sabrina woke lazily and smiled at Amrondiil. She felt relaxed, much more relaxed than she had felt since her adventures had started. She and her new lover were cuddled together up beneath the blankets, their legs intertwined and her face nestled in his neck. Her head rested on one of his arms while the other was wrapped around her waist, holding their naked bodies together. He ran his hand across her skin, making his way up to her breasts, and then back down to her finely shaped ass. His fingers then slid between her legs, and pleasure rippled through her body.

It had been two weeks since Alden had ridden off on a dragon, and Sabrina had a bad feeling that her vacation days would soon be over. They had spent the time getting to know each other as deeply as they could, and for the last few nights, they had "gotten to know" each other so much that Saadia had hit the ceiling below them with a broom in an attempt to get them to tone it down. Today though, they were going to go on an excursion. It was now almost ten o'clock, and this morning's activities had already taken a lot out if her. Saadia had packed them a lunch, and now they were approaching the bridges southeast of Whiterun.

Amrondiil whistled as they walked hand in hand. Suddenly, they heard a low growl. Sabrina reached for her axes and stood at the ready, twirling them mindlessly. Amrondiil too retrieved his weapons, though in such a way as she had never seen before. Both of his gauntlets split over the top of his forearms, and from the right, two blades extended flat over his knuckles. They were about a foot longer than his knuckles, which themselves bore a set of black brass knuckles that he had retrieved from his belt. From his left arm, a small square shield had grown and unfolded, it's face emblazoned with the marks of an enchantment. He stepped in front of her, and for once, she felt as though this wasn't her fight, but rather her protector's. A wolf leapt from a bush ahead of them and charged Amrondiil. Sweeping his shield arm across his body, he smacked the charging beast in the head. The wolf staggered and retreated a bit, it's eyes filled with confusion and panic. From its eyes, lines of blue magic swirled around its head. Confused, it let out a savage howl just as Amrondiil swept his leg over its back and stabbed both of his blades into the back of the wolf's neck. Both had pierced all the way through its neck, and dripped blood for a few seconds before he yanked them free, letting the terrified wolf collapse to its death. A grin spread across the giant elf's face as he wiped his blades clean.

Sabrina walked to her lover, pulled down her mask, and planted a kiss on his lips. Before she could give him another, the rattle of bones interrupted the silence. A female voice rang out over the clattering skeletons, urging them to attack the intruders who had entered her holy place. The bone warriors lurched forward, their bony hands grasping an array of weapons. Two of them drew their bows and began firing arrows at the elves. Instinctively, Sabrina swatted them away using telekinesis, and drew her own bow. Amrondiil raised his shield and engaged two of the skeletons with swords. Sabrina's first arrow struck true, and the skull flew off of one of the archers, its pearly grin mocking the mage at whose feet it landed. The woman screamed with rage and brought two more skeletons crawling from the earth in front of her. Sabrina swung her bladed bow at the closest skeleton, severing its spine below the ribcage, and then leapt towards the next one, slicing bit of its legs off as she dove between them. Behind her, Amrondiil dispatched his two skeletons and charged the one beside her, so she continued slashing her way to the conjuror who was summoning skeletons as fast as her magic would allow.

Sabrina swung her bow in an arc, slicing the last skeleton's skull in half, and lunged at the mage, who stumbled backwards and shakily drew a dagger from her robes. Sabrina's mask was still down, and the mage's eyes filled with fear as she yelled, "I have seen your face! Let me walk or I shall haunt you from the grave!"

Sabrina slapped the dagger away and stowed her bow on her back. Grabbing the mage by the wrists, she she spun and flipped the woman onto her stomach, slamming her to the ground. She then used the cloth belt that held the mage's robes tight to tie her wrists behind her back. Sabrina then pulled her into the standing position and said, "Lucky for me, I could use a prisoner right about now. Now, move."

Amrondiil strolled up, but before the trio could make it very far, a slow clap began up on the road. Glancing up, she saw two people looking down at her. The woman was average height, with long flowing brunette hair. Her form was well toned, and her leather pants fit her body perfectly. She wore black boots with heels, much as a female pirate would, and on her upper body she wore a white button-up shirt and a leather jacket. Her left eye was covered by an eye patch. Each hip bore an elven dagger, and on her back rested a Dwarven crossbow. She stood with her arms folded and observed the fight below her. Beside her, a massive warrior stood, decked out in battle-worn orcish armor that looked much like… "Alek'sir?" Sabrina gasped.

The big man nodded and grinned, and then caught Sabrina, who had tried to tackle him in a hug. "I've been back in Skyrim for about four days. I was on my way to Whiterun to see if your friend Saadia knew where you were when I got held up by this pretty little bandit." he said, and motioned to his companion. "Do you remember Katerina from that cave we stayed in before Windhelm?"

Sabrina nodded, and Katerina screwed her face up in confusion. "Alek'sir, who is this?"

Sabrina realized that she was still wearing the hood, and she pulled it off, revealing her shimmering silver hair. "It's me, Sabrina. Alek'sir's traveling companion when you were his prisoner."

"Oh, I see. What are you doing in the area? Also, who is that hunk of Elf that you are traveling with?" Katerina asked.

Amrondiil approached and stood awkwardly behind Sabrina, their new prisoner in tow. Sabrina replied, "This is Amrondiil, my uhhhhh, boyfriend. We are on our way to clear the bandits out of the Valtheim towers. Want to join us?"

Alek'sir looked thoroughly shocked at the boyfriend statement, and Katerina just grinned and said, "Well, why don't you and your boy-toy come as my guests instead. It'd be awfully rude of you to kill all my bandits." Sabrina's eyes opened wide, and Katerina went on, "Yes, I'm the leader of the bandits that inhabit the towers. Seeing as I'm your ally, I can take that prisoner off your hands if you want, and you can stay as long as you wish. Sound good?"

Sabrina nodded in amazement, and the small party took off toward the towers. As they walked, Alek'sir kept eyeing Amrondiil, trying to determine whether this dark Elf was good enough for Sabrina, and Amrondiil kept awkwardly glancing at the menacing old man. It was all Sabrina could do to keep from giggling at the tension between those two.

Sabrina gasped when the towers came into view. When she had seen them last, the abandoned towers on either end of the bridge that spanned the river gorge had been run down, with large stones coming loose, and a few disorganized bandits. Now, the towers stood proud, their stone ramparts newly strengthened and rebuilt. Dwarven ballistae sat atop each tower, ready to skewer any who dared attack the fortress. A third tower was under construction on the other side of the road, as well as the beginnings of a wall to go across the road. New barracks had been built on the cliffs across the river, and there were quite a few bandits patrolling the area and walking the bridge. They climbed the first tower and the crossed the bridge. The prisoner was handed off before they finally entered Katerina's quarters in the second tower.

Katerina closed the door behind them, and Sabrina relaxed a bit. Everyone unstrapped their weapons and removed their armor while Katerina made tea. Alek'sir grabbed two bearskin cloaks from the hook by the door, clamped his hand onto Amrondiil's shoulder, and the two of them took their steaming tea to the top of the tower for a talk. Sabrina and Katerina sat back and talked leisurely about the Dragonborn and the things he had done, Sabrina leaving out the horrible things she knew to be true, and they speculated on whether he would return. Before long, everyone was tired, and they all retired for the night. Amrondiil seemed a little on edge, and slipped one of his daggers beneath his pillow before he fell into bed, but Sabrina knew they would be safe. She slept peacefully, curled up in Amrondiil's arms.

* * *

Author's note: Hooray, we've made it to chapter twenty! I hope you guys are enjoying this. I know I'm enjoying writing it! Anyway, the return of Alek'sir is going to bring some surprises and some history on him. Let me know what you think!


	21. Long History

Long History

Sabrina leaned back in her chair. Her breakfast wasn't very interesting, as Alek'sir was being stubborn about telling her where he had been and why. He hadn't said a word about it, aside from the part about finding Katerina. She'd been prodding him for information for a good half-hour, and now he seemed to be pondering telling her, if only to shut her up. Whatever the reason, she would take it. Amrondiil had chosen to sit as far away from Alek'sir as possible, and mindlessly rubbed his shoulder every time he glanced at Alek'sir. Whatever had happened the night before, Amrondiil certainly had a great appreciation for Alek'sir's capabilities.

Finally, Alek'sir let out a loud sigh and said, "Fine. I'll tell you." Sabrina smiled at her victory, and Katerina's face tightened grimly. Amrondiil was clueless, and continued shoving eggs into his face as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. Alek'sir went on, "I went to Solstheim. My mentor had finally escaped Apocrypha, and I decided to visit him. Unfortunately, he had gone crazy during his time with Hermaeus Mora, and I had to kill him."

Amrondiil narrowed his eyes and asked, "Your mentor was Miraak? The first Dragonborn ever? How old are you?"

Alek'sir shook his head and looked at his magical hand, it's fingers becoming uncountable as they split into more and then merged back to fewer. 'I'm really stinking old kid. Let's just say that when I was a kid, Khajiit looked more like Sabercats than the humanoids that you see today. Yes, my mentor was Miraak. We were both dragon priests, way back before the humans rebelled. I wore the mask known as Dukaan. Miraak had obtained his powers as Dragonborn far before I became his apprentice, and once I was his apprentice, I gave the mask to someone else. I visited Dukaan's grave on my way back, and found that the Alden had been there and killed the undead version of my replacement. As much as I hate Alden, I'm glad he killed him. I turned away from Miraak's path just as he began to go crazy, and I've tried to make up for the things I did as a dragon priest."

Everyone sat in stunned silence. Sabrina's thoughts whirled, but finally she patted Alek'sir on the arm and said, "I've seen you do so many good things, I trust you. Besides, I'm guessing that you still have a few tricks left up your sleeve, and I'd like to see them." With that, Alek'sir smiled and patted her on the head.

Katerina leaned in and looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could, a girl in mage robes burst through the door, gasping for air. "K… Kat. Stormcloaks. On the… on the road. Thousands. Marching. Whiterun." The girl collapsed into a chair, and everyone looked at Katerina, who headed out the door.

"Everyone off the towers! Hide!" Katerina yelled. Bandits scrambled off the stoneworks, trying to disappear. Sabrina looked east and saw a pillar of dust rising a mile into the air. Two men in the blue uniform of the Stormcloaks came up the road at a good pace, checking for spies and danger. By the time they reached the towers, the place appeared empty. For an hour and a half, nobody in the towers moved for fear of being spotted by the horde of Nords dressed in blue, iron swords and axes strapped to their bodies. They marched in groups of one hundred, and in the last group, a general rode his horse proudly. On his head he wore the head of a bear, whose pelt extended as a cloak over the man's back. His gauntlets sported bear-like claws made of steel. His grim expression haunted Sabrina. This army was serious. They numbered three thousand five hundred men and women, all hell-bent on destroying the empire, who had started defending Whiterun despite the Jarl's dislike for the extra troops.

After the main force had gone by, a small group of people, perhaps ten, followed, all scanning for traps from the rear. Katerina had about seventy bandits, plus Alek'sir, Amrondiil, and Sabrina. The four of them looked at each other, and it was clear what they must do. They nimbly made their way down the tower closest to the troops, waiting till they had all passed by, and then started following them.

Before they even reached the first bend in the road, Katerina leveled her crossbow and took a shot, which stuck into the back of the last man's skull. He collapsed, and Sabrina sprinted forward, wrapping her hand around the back of the next Nord's neck and summoning the paralysis snake tattoo. He froze and fell with fear in his eyes. Amrondiil had charged, and drove his double bladed gauntlet into the third warrior's back. Alek'sir swung his obsidian sword in a wide swath and severed two heads while Sabrina stuck her axes in two more necks, blood spurting everywhere. The last three turned when one of the axed Stormcloaks moaned a gurgling moan, and were greeted by one more crossbow bolt and two giant males. Amrondiil thrust both of his daggers into one of the female Stormcloak's belly and lifted her off her feet with them before twisting them and ripping them out sideways, slashing her stomach wide open. Alek'sir skewered the other with his sword, whispering in her ear, "We start with you and end with your Dragonborn. May your soul be never rest." before he yanked it out. She stumbled backwards, holding her intestines and mumbling something about Talos. As she fell to the ground, Alek'sir sliced her head off with one quick swipe. A magical purple swirl erupted from her eyes, which had rolled back into her head, and Alek'sir collected it with a soul gem. He placed it on his belt, which now contained quite a few, with a wide grin.

Katerina walked up to Alek'sir and planted a kiss on his lips, which then became another and another before Sabrina pulled them apart. "Kat, go get your bandits. We're going to cause all hell to rain down on these bastards." Sabrina said. Katerina ran back to the tower and returned after a few minutes with her bandits, all armed to varying degrees. Meanwhile, Sabrina began conjuring a massive bear, much like the one that the Stormcloaks claimed as their animal, out of ice in the sky. She could only hope that the people of Whiterun would understand what she was trying to say.

By the time they reached the rear of the army, Sabrina had gotten another idea. A giant was standing in the crops of one of the farmer's fields near Whiterun. Hoping to Dibella that her charm would work, she approached the giant while her companions hid behind the farmhouses. Thankfully, her elven charms were enough, and the fifty-foot-tall giant agreed to squish the "Little blue boogers." Everything was set. Sabrina could see the imperial troops lining the battlements. Now just to spring the trap.


	22. War

War

Morning sunlight glinted on weapons as the Stormcloaks assembled into rank and file. The night had been quiet, with the rebels choosing to delay their attack until the morning. Sabrina, Alek'sir, Amrondiil, and Katerina had taken turns on the watch, and now the smell of cooking bacon and eggs wafted towards the houses behind which they hid with their small force of saboteurs. The inhabitants of the houses could be heard shuffling about, and fathers could be heard telling their families not to venture from the house.

Katerina had ordered two of her bandits to scout the enemy troops, and now they returned. One was almost giggling, while his female companion shook her head in mild amusement. From what Sabrina could hear, the guy had donned Stormcloak armor and managed to disable three of the catapults in such a way that when they were used, the arm would detach and fling itself into the surrounding soldiers. Honestly, Sabrina was rather impressed by his ingenuity, and was glad that he was on her side.

Suddenly, a low whump of a massive drum rang out across the valley, soon joined by a hundred more. As the concussive waves echoed from the city walls, soldiers began moving into their attack positions. Five massive catapults sat menacingly above the swarm of troops below, and as the soldiers positioned themselves, their massive arms were pulled back to be loaded with stones. Katerina kissed Alek'sir, and shouted to her bandits, "Alright people, when those catapults fling, we sneak in from the back and begin wreaking their days. Now, let's do this!"

Amrondiil walked up behind Sabrina and wrapped his arms around her. She knew that he would do anything for her, and the urge to tell him to stay back was overwhelming. Unfortunately, if this attack was to be sabotaged successfully, they would need every hand they could get, so he would have to stay. An explosion erupted from the first catapult as an enchanted stone slammed into the troops in front of it, the rest of it splintering and flying into those behind. Two more followed in short succession, each eliminating dozens of soldiers around them. Men and women started milling about in crazed confusion, and the saboteurs moved in unseen.

Sabrina squeezed Amrondiil's hand one last time and dove into a command tent. Inside, two generals stood bent over a map of the city and moved small wooden blocks to show troop positions. She crouched, ready to pounce. A messenger burst through the front entrance panting hard. In a flash, their eyes connected, and she knew that she had to move now. Leaping forward, she rolled onto the table and grasped both generals by their necks. Slamming their heads together, she then tackled the retreating messenger before he made it to the door. He threw her off and tried to draw his sword, but she was faster than he was, and yanked her daggers from their sheaths, sinking both into his neck and then yanking them out. The messenger dropped, blood spraying with each of his final heartbeats, and she spun to face the staggering generals. She leapt towards the less disoriented of the two and slashed his neck wide open. Finally, she walked to the last general, and after replacing her daggers, she took her bladed bow and sliced his head clean off, each part of his body turning to an ice pillar. Heading toward the battlefield, she drew her axes.

Sabrina drew the tent flap aside and was greeted by a large, gruff looking soldier who snarled and grabbed her by the neck. Blood rushed in her head and his grip tightened, cutting off her air as he lifted her into the air. The world began to spin and go dark when a thump sounded from his head and he released his grip on her. Katerina stepped on his head with her heeled boots and pulled her crossbow bolt free from his temple with an aire of superiority. She tipped her head toward Sabrina, winked, and then took aim with her crossbow once again.

When Sabrina made it to the battlefield, her senses were overwhelmed by the blood and fire that surrounded her. Bodies lay with their entrails spilling from ragged gashes, arrows protruded from others, and still others were completely missing body parts. The bandits hadn't seemed to have lost too many of their ranks, and they ravaged the enemy forces like wild beasts, tearing limb from limb with their fury. To her right, men flew through the air, the unfortunate receivers of her giant's wrath. About a hundred legion soldiers defended the city gateway, their front line standing shoulder to shoulder while archers picked off rebels from the towers. Alek'sir was slashing his way through a company of soldiers, his two magical arms each wielding an enemy weapon, while his obsidian blade cleaved souls from their bodies. His familiar fought by his side, it's ghostly form snarling and biting soldiers as fast as it could.

Sabrina sprinted to Amrondiil's side, swinging her axes with precision. It wasn't long before the enemy forces had been split in half, with about a thousand blue-clad rebels one either side. There were twenty-three saboteurs left, and they were spread along the enemy lines when the enemy realized their opportunity. Suddenly, the walls of troops shifted to face the middle, and began advancing steadily. Sabrina saw their plan and screamed for them to regroup. Only fourteen of them made it to the group, the rest falling victim to the Stormcloaks' blades. The imperials saw their plight and began advancing, but they were moving far too slow to make it in time.

The saboteurs stood shoulder to shoulder in a circle, ready to fight to the death as the blue horde closed around them. A few soldiers advanced, but were cut down by the swift blades of Amrondiil and Alek'sir. Behind Sabrina, Alek'sir mumbled something under his breath, and the ghostly form of Kelton, Alek'sir's necromancer, rose in the center of their circle. Almost immediately, Stormcloak soldiers who had fallen began rising from the ground and began attacking their living comrades. It wasn't much, but it distracted the enemies long enough for Sabrina to call upon her telekinesis and start raising stones above their heads. Slowly, a halo of stones the size of heads began forming above their heads. Sabrina raised her hand, and a ball of fire coalesced in her palm. Large gouts of flames began igniting the enemies around her, and the screams of burning men and women joined the steady thumping of the war drums.

The imperials hacked their way to the circle of people fighting for their lives, and as soon as they were safely in the circle, Sabrina released the stones flying above them, spraying rocks in every direction. The stones had been spinning fast enough that each one took out a line of soldiers, smashing them to bloody pulps. Finally, the Stormcloaks realized that this group would not surrender, and advanced quickly, pressing close. Amrondiil began smashing his shield-bearing arm into soldiers and then stabbing them with his double blades. Sabrina wiped someone else's blood from her brow, and threw a steady stream of flames into her enemies, scorching a wide swath around her. Katerina had picked up a pair of scimitars, curved swords from the deserts of Hammerfell, and was slashing anyone who dared come within six feet of her. Somewhere behind Sabrina, the giant groaned and fell to the earth, his battles over. Alek'sir swung his swords wildly, and finally dropped one in his split arm, allowing a frosty crystal to form instead. Frosty streams of magic began shooting from his hand, freezing men solid and creating a wall of frozen bodies. Nevertheless, the enemy forces swarmed even more around them. Imperials dropped one after another, until it was just eleven of them left. The bandits had been narrowed down to just three, and the four friends stood at each point of the compass in the circle.

It seemed all was lost. Fifteen hundred soldiers surrounded the dwindling force. Suddenly, the thumping of the drums ceased, and a scream rippled through the blue horde. To the west, a pillar of dust swirled into the sky, and across the plains ten thousand imperial soldiers marched, their banners waving defiantly in the wind. The faces of a thousand Stormcloak soldiers turned to fear and dread, and the horde began to run. As the rebels ran past, the saboteurs began picking soldiers off, reducing the fleeing force to fourteen hundred by the time they got far enough away to be out of range for the party's ranged weapons.

Sabrina thanked the gods as an imperial general rode up their party and dismounted. A captain rode beside him, proudly yelling, "General Tullius, commander of the imperial army and right hand of Lady Elisif the Fair, Jarl of Solitude."

The group stood tall and proud, unwilling to bend the knee for this general. Sabrina stepped forward and folded her arms before saying, "Welcome to the party. General, it appears that you have saved our lives with your timely appearance. My only question is, why did it take you so long to appear in the first place?"

"Well I'm certainly glad that you heroic few survived, but who are you, a woman wearing a mask and hood, to question me?" Tullius replied.

An imperial soldier stepped forward, and before she could respond, he saluted and said, "General, if I may?" The general nodded, and the soldier went on. "This woman, whoever she is, is personally responsible for the success of today, and the safety of the inhabitants of Whiterun. It was her and her fighters who killed about half of the enemy forces, if not more. The Stormcloaks never even made it to the gates of the city sir. I, and everyone inside that city, owe her our lives."

The general considered this for a minute, and then said, "It seems I owe you an apology. Here, this is my signet ring. Take it as a pass to anything you wish from my men. I wish to speak with you after you have gotten some rest, so I ask that you return that to me in a few days. I'm interested in learning more about you, and maybe giving you a role in my future battles. Will you grant me this honor?"

Sabrina simply nodded and accepted the ring, slipping it into her gauntlet for safekeeping. Then, the four turned and headed toward the city, picking their way through the thousands of bodies that lay in the blood-soaked valley. The metallic smell of blood filled the air, bringing attention to the blood that covered all of them. Little rivulets of sweat had carved trails in the deep red layer that covered their bodies. Sabrina removed her mask and breathed in deeply, her hands shaking from the strain they had gone through.

When the four of them reached the Inn, Saadia immediately readied two rooms and drew baths in each room. Sabrina let Amrondiil clean up first, and went down to the bar for a few bottles of mead. Hulda, the owner of the Inn, called for a young man to wash their armor, and Sabrina gladly changed into a set of linen pajamas. Everyone in the Inn sat in wonder as the Elf with silver hair slowly drank her mead, her hands shaking so badly that she almost spilled it. A hush fell over the other patrons when the old cook tapped her on the shoulder. "Ma'am, I know it's not much, but we all thank you. You saved us, and you saved our city. Anything you need, just ask."

Sabrina nodded, and collapsed to the floor. The last thing she saw was Amrondiil carrying her to their room.


	23. Inadequate

Inadequate

Sabrina cursed her sore muscles as she attempted to don her armor. She'd spent most of the previous day sleeping, that is, when she wasn't taking another hot bath or getting a massage from one of the Jarl's maids. He'd sent the old woman down to care for her and her friends, and Sabrina appreciated it, but the woman had a tendency to be too nosy, and had no sense of personal space. Now she was wishing she hadn't sent the old lady back, as she could have used someone to help her get dressed. She would have asked Amrondiil, but he had done his own groaning and cursing earlier in the morning while she was still half asleep, and had gone to the skyforge to talk to Eorlund about an idea that he had.

Eorlund Gray-Mane was a rather massive fellow who operated the skyforge. This forge dated back before the time of the elves, and was the reason that Whiterun was located where it was. According to the legends, when Talos was wandering Skyrim with his companions, he found the forge, and decided to settle there. Now, the steel that came from the forge was legendary for being the strongest and best steel in all of Tamriel. If you could get your hands on a sword made by Eorlund, you were luckier, or richer, than most people would ever be.

Sabrina left the Inn, heading up the hill to the cloud district. As she climbed the worn stone steps, the breeze wafted the smell of cooking bacon and hot steel past her. Her steps gained a little more bounce as she walked past the massive tree that grew in the middle of the district. In the spring, a wash of white and pink flowers would burst from its branches, but since it was winter, the bare branches shivered in the gentle breeze. Ahead of her, the massive stairs that led to the keep rose in the morning sun. Guards in their armor gleamed at regular intervals, ready to repel any would-be attackers. Arches made of wood sat in rows over the walkway, making the keep seem all the more imposing and regal.

The keep, however, was not her destination. If she could delay her meeting with the generals and the Jarl, she would do so. Instead, she turned right, and headed up the stairs that led to the companions mead hall, known as Jorrvaskr. The massive building was built like a viking war ship turned upside down, with dragons' heads carved from wood at each end. This was the source of the smells of food, Sabrina had no doubt.

The companions were known for three things: their history, their prowess in battle, and their ability to consume great deals of food and drink. On the history front, they were rich. Their organization dated back to the original companions, the warriors who had fought their way across Tamriel with Talos. If you could get them to fight for you, which now days involved a bit of gold, they were extremely fierce, bordering on animalistic. Then there was the consumption of edible things, which were washed down with beer, ale, or mead. Saadia's stories were filled with tales of entire platters of cheese and crackers disappearing before her eyes, the warriors looking innocent and licking their fingers.

Just before she got to the doors of Jorrvaskr, she turned left again and climbed yet another set of stairs, these more ancient and worn than any in the city. At the top of the stairs, a giant stone eagle sat, its wings partially open. Its eyes seemed to bore into a person's soul, sensing all the things they had done, good or bad. It almost rivaled dragons in size, and formed a partial roof over the skyforge. Below, a balding man, Eorlund, was talking to Amrondiil.

"You're going to look like a goddamn shiny idiot if this fails." Eorlund said. Amrondiil shrugged and nodded. Eorlund continued, "Unless you know someone who can enchant this stuff, you're just going to be a fool. The dragon armor however, that will be possible. I just need the dimensions."

Their conversation stopped abruptly when they noticed Sabrina standing at the top of the stairs, fully geared up and ready to go. Amrondiil quickly shuffled some papers around, and then nodded to Eorlund as he escorted Sabrina back down.

"I talked to Katerina and Alek'sir this morning, and we agreed to meet at the big tree when we had concluded our business. How did you sleep?" Amrondiil asked. Sabrina simply shrugged, and Amrondiil went on, "Katerina said she was looking for something called a 'hand crossbow', whatever that is. I think Alek'sir went to speak with Farengar."

"Who is that?" Sabrina asked, screwing her face up as though she'd just smelled something that was both horrible and lovely in its aroma.

Amrondiil looked confused. "The priest of Talos here, or Farengar?" As he said it, he gestured to the priest at the foot of the stairs that led to Jorrvaskr. The man was shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to get somebody, anybody, to listen to what he had to say. He waved his arms to show emphasis, pleading with the townsfolk to turn from their evil ways and worship Talos once more. His brown robes waved in the wind and outlined a gaunt frame.

Sabrina stopped and listened to the small priest, though she remained on the steps behind him. Her thoughts wandered a bit, and she ignored the sound of a dragon in the distance. This poor man was so dedicated to his cause, so eager for others to see what he could see and experience his experiences, and yet nobody paid him any attention. The odd traveler would flip a septim in his direction when they walked by, but none stopped to listen to the things he had to say. A city guard stood nearby, ready to intervene in case of someone getting a little too tired of his constant pleading and attacking the poor man. The priest's body was weak looking, even through his robes, which stuck to him in the wind. His tone was becoming shaky, as though he would break down crying at any moment.

An imposing figure made his way down the stairs from the keep, his heavily armored boots clanking with every step. His armor, black as night and swirling with the faces of hundreds of souls trapped in its confines, exuded an evil presence. The long curved blade that rested on his back glowed deep red, and he drew it. As soon as the sword was in his grip, the blade glowed even brighter, and his armor's trapped souls screamed with rage, bombarding the surface of the armor in an effort to escape and strangle the evil warrior. He raised the two-handed sword with his right hand and pointed it at the frail priest's chest. The little man didn't even acknowledge the hulking threat before him, and continued pleading with the citizens. The warrior's eye slots glowed fiery red, and he tipped his head back and laughed, his sword hovering an inch from the priest's fragile heart.

Sabrina sucked air in when the ebony warrior spoke. "I am the Alden, Slayer of Alduin, Hero of Skyrim, and I am born of dragons…" Alden's voice had a new power to it, as though every word had the potential to flatten anyone near him. At the same time, his voice had also gained a seductive tone, flowing like a calming stream through her mind. "... I traveled to the land of the dead and returned. While there, I met your god, and I found him weak. I am your God now, bow to me!" Now she was glad she had her mask on. What if he had recognized her?

The priest finally acknowledged Alden's presence in a shaky yet commanding tone, he responded, "You are no God. You are simply a man drunk with power, and I bow to no man. You are not worthy."

Alden turned to the small crowd that was beginning to gather, and then threw his head back, laughing a deep, evil laugh. "Does he speak for all of you, or is it just he who believes this?" he asked,swinging the sword to indicate those watching. Nobody moved or replied. Sabrina nervously glanced around and saw Alek'sir and Katerina standing in the back of the crowd, their eyes fixed on the seething evil that stood before them. Alden nodded as he started walking away from the priest, when suddenly he turned, clasping his other hand around the handle of his sword and spinning into a charging stance. In a split second, a word of power split the air. WULD thundered through the crowd as Alden's form blurred, dashing forward at a speed so fast that a small sonic boom accompanied his movement. As his form solidified in Sabrina's vision, she saw the four foot blade buried to its hilt in the priest's chest. The little man hunched around the sword, and Alden bent over and whispered something in his ear before withdrawing his blade in a flourish of purple. Another soul screamed in the evil depths of Alden's armor.

The guard began to reach for his sword, but Alden shouted again, this time, TIID echoed, and time slowed. Alden moved as though nothing was different, and proceeded to walk to the guard, remove the man's sword belt, remove his helmet, and then stuff an apple which he had pulled from his own pocket into the man's mouth, ending by slamming his armored fist into the man's groin. When time came back to normal, the poor chap fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Alden then bowed, and strolled towards the gates of the city. Nobody dared stop him.

When the crowd dispersed, the four friends go together and made their way to the keep, both to tell the Jarl of the events in the market, as well as to speak with the general about the upcoming battles. That night, the conversations in the inn were all hushed, each group wondering who could possibly stop such an evil being. Sabrina just groaned and went to bed, though the sleep would not come. She buried her head beneath her pillow and sobbed silently. She could never be enough to stop that… monster.


	24. Thane

Thane

Amrondiil's eyebrows always got that funny little tweak whenever he tried to explain something, and they were doing it now. He'd spent the last night trying to make a spell that would let them speak to each other at great distances, and so far, he said it worked. Unfortunately, up till now, he had only been able to talk to a guard who had volunteered to be a test dummy, in return for a fair sum of septims. Now, he handed her a bronze bracelet that fit her gauntlet perfectly. He then walked across the room and cast the spell. The bronze suddenly turned silver, and she gasped in amazement. She waved her hand over the bracelet, and a moving image of Amrondiil, looking down at her, appeared displayed on the back of her gauntlet. She waved at him, and he smiled back, before breaking into a laugh. Instead of just hearing him across the room laughing, she also heard him like a voice in her head, laughing.

"We'll see," Sabrina said. "I hope it works at much longer distances, because I know that you have a lot to do in the valley. I'll miss you."

Amrondiil shouldered his pack and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll miss you too. We'll be back just as soon as we can. I just need to finish some things, and get a few more recruits. I'll take as little time as I can, I promise." With that, he, Katerina, and the remaining bandits left for the valley where Amrondiil was building their headquarters. Alek'sir looked like a lost puppy dog without Katerina, but they had agreed that it would be best if she went back to help with the recruiting.

General Tullius had asked that she help him drive the Stormcloaks back from the region, so they packed to leave immediately for the Imperial camp that was holding the rebels at bay near Katerina's towers. Before they could leave, a courier pounded on the door to Sabrina's room.

"Sabrina of Falkreath, Goddess of Stone, and Savior of Whiterun, his Lordship, Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, requests your presence at his court this afternoon." the man proclaimed for the entire Inn to hear.

Sabrina stuffed her spare tunic into her pack and opened the door hastily, her face screwed up in confusion. "Ummm, excuse me, what did you just call me?" she asked, her voice thin and incredulous.

The courier didn't even flinch as he repeated, "Sabrina of Falkreath, Goddess of Stone, and Savior of Whiterun." in a flat, unimpressed way. He obviously had seen his fair share of important people, and she was nothing new for him.

Sabrina nodded, and the courier dipped low before leaving the Inn. The Jarl wanted to see her? She'd spoken with him briefly before, but her focus had mostly been on the others in the room. She simply gave him the respect he was due, given his status. The general had left the day before though, so now she was to see him specifically. Alek'sir lightly punched her arm on the way to the keep, and when she glanced at him, he bowed mockingly. They both broke out laughing, and didn't quite stop before they reached the massive wooden doors of the keep. The guards at the doors barred their entry, their steel chain mail glinting in the sun. Their golden yellow cloaks waved slightly in the breeze, displaying the symbol of Whiterun, and their full-face helmets concealed their faces well. The one who had stopped them with his outstretched hand suddenly knelt, bowing his head, and trembling slightly. The second guard followed his companion's lead, and Sabrina stepped back in surprise.

The first guard finally spoke after a few seconds of silence. "Thank you your ladyship. I know you do not know me, nor what you have done for me, but you saved my brother's life on the battlefields, as well as the lives of all of us who would die to protect this city. We are forever in your debt. We have spoken and agreed that if you, the Goddess of Stone, ever need anything, the Whiterun guard is at your disposal."

Sabrina stammered slightly, "Ummm, I uhhhhh, thanks. Thank you." With that, she nodded toward the massive wooden doors that blocked her way forward. "Do you mind if I go on in now?"

Both of the guards stood up hastily and opened the doors. The smell of cooking food washed over her, along with the faint smell of burning wood. She climbed yet another set of stairs, and the courtroom came into view. Along her right side, a third story balcony overlooked the proceedings, and a young boy looked eagerly towards the back of the room. Below the balcony, a doorway led to the court mage's working area. A map of Skyrim sat on display, and on his working table, potions and soul gems were strewn haphazardly. An enchanting table sat in the back, the candles above it flickering in a hypnotic fashion. On her left, the first balcony's twin sat above the door to the kitchen, where the chef stood, wiping his hands on his apron mindlessly while also watching the throne. As she passed tables laden with cheeses and breads, she looked to the wooden throne at the back of the room, above which the skull of a dragon sat impressively.

Upon the throne sat Balgruuf the Greater, Jarl of Whiterun. His face bore the look of someone who is waiting impatiently for an explanation. In front of him, a courier stood, his chest heaving. Irileth, the Jarl's bodyguard, stood with her arms folded. Most would not notice, but Sabrina saw the the elven woman's fingers were wrapped around the handles of throwing knives, ready to attack if this man tried to make even the slightest move. Balgruuf leaned forward, his blonde locks falling around his face. He put his hand to his forehead, casually pushing the hair back from his eyes, and then looked back at the courier, resting his bearded chin on the palm of his hand. "Well? I don't have all day."

The courier straightened, having gained some control of his breathing, and said, "my Lord, I regret to inform you that Lydia, the housecarl that you assigned to the Dragonborn, is in fact dead." Balgruuf recoiled, sharply drawing in a breath. He then let it out with a sad sigh, and motioned for the courier to go on. "My Lord, I did as you asked, and followed the Dragonborn. He went to Riverwood, and there he met with Lydia. When I confronted him and told him that he was no longer considered a friend of Whiterun, and that his Thaneship had been revoked, he simply laughed. I then told him that you had requested Lydia be returned to serve you. To this, he simply said, 'Of course. Let me just go tell her.' He then went into the room where she was, and then I heard a scream. I went in after he left, and I found her with her own sword through her heart."

Balgruuf stood and said to the courier, "Thank you, good sir, for your report." He then turned to the rest of the courtroom, and announced, "Lydia of Whiterun served this city faithfully for many years, even with her reservations in regards to her assignment to the Dragonborn. Tonight we mourn her loss. Let the people of Whiterun grieve for the loss of this great woman." The courtroom was quiet for a few somber moments, and then everyone began going about their business. It was then that Sabrina approached the throne.

"My Lord." Sabrina said as she bowed, "You sent for me?"

The Jarl tipped his head slightly, as though still processing what he had just learned, and then sudden recognition sprung to his eyes, and he said, "Goddess of Stone. Sabrina of Falkreath. The woman in the mask. Which should I call you?"

Sabrina pulled her mask down, and in a respectful tone said, "I don't know about the Goddess title. Sabrina is fine with me."

"Sabrina it is then." the Jarl said. "It seems that I made a grave mistake when I made Alden my Thane. As soon as I had granted him the title, he went behind my back and talked to my son. This led to him stealing that evil blade that he uses from the place where I had it sealed away. I have only abided him because it seemed the only way to solve this dragon problem, but now that he has finished that evil reign of terror forever, I can no longer sit back and let him run over my people. I need you. Whiterun needs you. He must be stopped, before it costs us any more good people. My people have told me what is known of your history, and I give you my condolences for all of your losses. I know that you have your own agents in play, and that you have a place to call home, but I would like to offer you a position in my court as Thane."

Sabrina took it all in, and thought for a bit. "I agree, he must be stopped. But I have one question: what does a Thane do?"

"Quite simply, a Thane advises their Jarl, and acts as an ambassador to other holds in Skyrim." he explained. "I wouldn't expect you to be around all the time. I would simply give you tasks from time to time, and ask for your opinions on rare occasions."

"I accept."

Sabrina and Alek'sir made it to the camp just before sunset, and fell exhausted into their tents.


	25. Rest

Rest

The sun filtered through the early morning mist, giving the world a surreal feeling. The world outside Sabrina's tent seemed to be just waking, though Sabrina knew that there were those who still had yet to sleep. Buckling her weapon belts on, she strode toward the captain's command tent. Pausing just outside the door, she listened to the commotion inside. Several lieutenants spoke of retreating Stormcloaks, and the captain spoke of holding her ground. When she entered, the entire group went silent and stared at her.

After a brief chat with the captain, she found herself unneeded, at least for the time being. Now would be the perfect time to revisit the Dark Brotherhood, and see if there was another assassination that she could do. Alek'sir, always the wise man, chose to stay with the legion, saying that he had some "bad history" with the brotherhood. Regardless, she set off on her own.

Before she passed the ruin of her home, she picked a bouquet of nightshade and tied it together with a piece of ribbon that she had bought on an impulse in Whiterun. As she entered the burned out area that surrounded her childhood home, she tied the ribbon into a slightly lopsided bow, twisting her face up as she tried again and again. Finally, she settled for a slightly less lopsided bow, and set the bouquet on her mother's grave. The scene was just beginning to thaw the first frost of winter that had crystallized overnight, giving the clearing a sparkling magical look. Trees glistened in the early morning sunlight that filtered through a gently drifting fog. Deer on the far side of the clearing observed the intruder before wandering away. A new marker stood off to the side of the graves she and Alek'sir had dug. It was a wooden slab with a rounded top, and the handle of a dagger rested on top of it, pointed down as though its blade resided within the slab. The handle was made of finely worked Damascus steel, its folded metal formed to fit a smaller hand than an average nord. The pommel housed a sapphire that gleamed a brilliant blue in the sunlight. Curious, Sabrina pulled the handle upward, revealing a blade that had been wrapped in parchment.

Sabrina unrolled the parchment and read the words that were scribed in elegant penmanship.

" _Let those who grasp this blade take heed. Time has spoken and fate has decreed, but for the blood of the legend, many Thalmor you will end."_

At the end of the note, a handprint marked the page in black ink. Layered over it, the name "Astrid" was written in blood red with the same beautiful handwriting. Sabrina looked at the dagger, and was amazed to see an ivory blade with steel designs of roses and skulls finely inlaid into the carvings that covered the gorgeous weapon's blade. On the blade, hidden in the engravings, the words, " _Mind lost until blade's return"_ were etched. Sabrina reverently rewrapped the parchment around the blade and placed it back in the tombstone.

Just as she was about to leave, a hand touched her shoulder. Startled, she grasped the hand and twisted it while she rotated toward the owner thereof. Drawing her dagger and placing the tip hurriedly under her assailant's chin, she stopped abruptly. At the point of her blade, the ghostly form of her mother looked into her eyes. Trembling, she sheathed her blade and stepped back. "Mother? H… How?"

Her mother simply smiled before replying, "Sabrina, my little one, it is only by Talos' mercy that I can speak with you." Noting Sabrina's confused look, she went on. "I died in service of Talos, helping his hero destroy the dragon threat. In return, he granted me access to Sovngarde. I've been watching you, and I am proud of the woman you are becoming. I'm so sorry for all the pain that my actions have brought you. Never forget that I love you. I must go now. Good luck with all that is to come."

Sabrina stood with tears flowing in rivulets down her cheeks as her mother faded from sight. Her thoughts hardened as she contemplated the fact that Astrid, leader of the Dark Brotherhood, had taken enough interest in her family to make a gravestone for Faendal. As sweet as the gesture was, it also had a more sinister underlying element. The Dark Brotherhood had claimed her family as their own, claiming her as their own. The message was clear; she was their assassin now.

The walk to the Brotherhood sanctuary was calm. She only passed one person on the road, and she had been walking with a purpose in the opposite direction from the one Sabrina was headed in. When she got to the whispering door, she paused for a moment to collect herself. She pulled her mask off for a second to readjust it, and then locked it back into place. Exhaling slowly, she knocked. After giving the password, she strode into the sanctuary, only to be met by a visibly angry Astrid.

"Where have you been? I got word of your successful termination of the hunter, but you just didn't show up for what, weeks now? You should have reported back immediately! I'm grounding you for three weeks. No more assassinations. You can't even leave the sanctuary until your time is up." Astrid said in an exasperated tone.

"I've been in Whiterun, saving the city from the Stormcloaks. I figured that it would be an acceptable reason to stay in the city." Sabrina replied.

Sabrina noticed that Astrid's face wore the obvious signs of stress that overwhelmed individuals often bore. Wearily, Astrid said, "Look, I don't have time for this right now. We can talk about it later. Right now, I'm too busy with Cicero, who, by the way, you should go meet. He's just down the stairs." Astrid turned and walked into her planning room, and Sabrina continued to the common area of the sanctuary.

The sight of a court jester dancing around a steel coffin standing on end was not what Sabrina had expected. Nazir, the redguard captain in the brotherhood, appraised the situation with wary eyes. Gabriella, one of the two mages among the assassins, smiled jovially, but Sabrina could see that one of her hands grasped a dagger behind her back. In general, the whole group seemed to be happy, though the air was thick with tension. Suddenly, the room went silent as Cicero noticed Sabrina. He stopped dancing, and walked, very calmly, over to her, and bowed low. Tipping his hat as he did so, the bells on the tips of his jester's hat jingled raucously. Prancing back and standing upright, he twirled dual daggers around his fingers and then brought them to his lips contemplatively.

"Just who are you? Cicero hasn't seen you around here." the man dressed as a jester said.

Sabrina tipped her head a bit, and in a commanding voice replied, "I'm the deadliest person in this room. Who the hell are you, clown boy?"

The little man stepped back, his face a confused mess. "Did you just ask Cicero who he is? I take care of the Night Mother, you arrogant little…" Cicero tightened his grip on his daggers as though he might stab her at a moment's notice. Sabrina stepped back and slipped her own hands behind her back, lacing her fingers around her own daggers. Cicero advanced slightly, and then danced a bit toward the coffin, caressing it lovingly. "Oh Mother, if you would just speak to poor Cicero, so much could be avoided. Poor poor Cicero. Mother won't speak to Cicero."

Sabrina took this opportunity to duck back out of the room and speak to Astrid again. "Who is this guy?" Sabrina asked incredulously. "He's crazy. Bona fide insane."

Astrid took Sabrina's arm and led her to a back section of the entryway before saying, "I know. He sent me letters requesting sanctuary here with the Night Mother, and shortly after I agreed, he showed up toting that damn steel coffin of his. I swear, he's had more conversations with that coffin than he has with anyone else in this place. I'm sure he's conspiring with somebody else though. He simply talks too much when he is by himself."

"Are you sure?" Sabrina asked. "I mean the guy talks to that creepy coffin alot as it is. Maybe he is just talking to himself?"

"No." Astrid retorted. "I'm moving the coffin into his room at his request today. I'd like you to hide inside and find out who he is talking to."

"I'm pretty sure I heard you wrong." Sabrina said in a rather sharp tone. "You want me, the Goddess of Stone, to hide in a coffin to see if the crazy guy has any friends." Astrid nodded expectantly, and Sabrina inadvertently pulled some small stones from the floor, which started circling around in the palm of her hand. "I don't think I'm going to be doing that." Sabrina said flatly. "If you want to have that happen, it'll be with someone else's time and discomfort. I have things I need to be doing."

Astrid stood with her jaw jutted out slightly and said, "Sabrina of Falkreath, what the hell did you just say to me?" In her eyes, Sabrina could see the fires of hell glowing brightly, and she figured she should explain herself.

"I have been working on a way to kill the Dragonborn. Why don't you let an apprentice hide in the coffin while I talk to Nazir about it?" Sabrina asked with a sigh.

Astrid turned and ordered an apprentice assassin to hide in the casket, then wheeled around abruptly and stared at Sabrina. "You want to kill the slayer of dragons? How do you even propose to do that?"

Sabrina began laying out her plans, and Astrid started getting involved, pulling out maps and old books from her office for references. Nazir stepped in, and the two of them told him what they were doing. He almost instantly began to help, almost as though it was personal for him too. Together, they exhausted every resource available within the sanctuary, and when Sabrina suggested that maybe she should go out to talk to others for information or help, Astrid lifted her house arrest, on one condition: Sabrina was to come back more regularly, or at least send reports. Sabrina nodded, and was about to head out when the apprentice that had hidden in the coffin burst through the door, Cicero hot on her heels.

"Astrid! You must kill this evil woman!" Cicero screamed. "Cicero caught her hiding in the Night Mother's coffin. She touched Mother! She must die!"

Astrid calmly grasped the insane clown as he scurried past her, and stopped his movement. Sabrina chose this moment to leave the sanctuary, and head to the Valley of Promise. As she slipped out, Nazir slipped her a book wrapped in cloth. Unwrapping it as she walked, she revealed a spell tome that read, "Frenzy".

"Huh, guess I'll have to try this out later." Sabrina said as she slipped it into her pack and started toward the valley. As she walked, she began humming an old lullaby that her mother had sung when she was young.

" _Sleep my little princess,_

 _Do not worry or fret._

 _For by your side I'll stay all night_

 _Though against the world I'm set._

 _Have no fear my baby,_

 _Hush your wandering mind._

 _Your mamma will protect you_

 _No danger you will find."_

Sabrina noticed a rustling in the bushes beside her, and stopped her singing abruptly. She wrapped her hands around her the handles of her axes and commanded the bush's occupant to reveal themselves. There was more rustling, and Sabrina tightened her grip. A hushed whisper emanated from the bush, and then a slender high elf stepped out, his nose upturned slightly, as though he was disgusted by her presence.

"How can I help… whatever you are?" the haughty elf asked.

Sabrina looked him over. His clothes spoke of wealth gained nefariously, and behind his back, he held the end of a leash that extended back to the bush he had come from. "What do you have on the leash?" she asked, peering inquisitively.

The elf leaned in, narrowing his eyes. "I don't believe you want to see. I doubt that someone of your low status would be able to afford it anyway."

At that exact moment, a small hiss, like an angry kitten might emit, came from the bush, and a very young Khajiit scrambled into the walkway, careening around the elf's legs, tying the leash around them. Attached to her neck was a spiked collar, which appeared to be tightened one notch too tight. The kitten looked at Sabrina with wide, pleading eyes, and started crying while saying, "He took this one from her family." over and over.

Sabrina hardened her gaze and said, "Cover your eyes and step back child. You shouldn't see this." while drawing her twin axes.

The adorable kitten ran as far as she could before her leash stopped her with a yank, and then covered her eyes with her oversized paw hands. The tightening of the leash made it tighten like a noose around the elf's legs, felling him like a tree. As he struggled against his bonds, he begged, saying, "Look, her parents are dead. You can have her for half price. Just don't kill me! She'll be a great slave for you in a few years! Just please let me galbleghhhh…" His sentence was cut off as Sabrina sunk one of her axes up the center of his chin, cutting his jaw in half, and burying the rest of its head in his esophagus.

As he choked to death on his own blood, she sheathed her other axe and reached for her dagger, cutting the leash from his body. Then, she drug his still-dying body into the bush by her axe, wrenched it free, and cleaned it on his robe. Stepping out of the bush, she approached the kitten, who still stood in the middle of the path with her paws covering her eyes, whimpering softly. Sabrina bent down and pulled her hood and her mask back.

"Hey there pretty kitty, are you ok?" Sabrina asked as she gently undid the buckle on the collar. "The bad man is gone now. You can open your eyes."

The kitten opened her incredibly wide, silver eyes, and Sabrina could see tears wetting the fur on her cheeks. The little girl smiled a toothy grin, her canines extending down over her furry jaw just a bit, and threw her arms around Sabrina in a big hug. "This one thanks you very much."

Sabrina smiled and pulled back, looking the kitten in her face. "How about you come with me, and I'll make sure you grow up to be a strong kitty?"

The kitten nodded enthusiastically, and the two of them started down the road, paw in hand.

"What's your name little one?"

"This one does not have a name. Bad man called this one Mangy Little Shit."

"You need a name, and don't say that word. How do you like Fiona? We can call you Fifi."

"This one likes that."

"I'm going to teach you pronouns…"

* * *

Author's note: Since this is my 25th chapter, I'd like to thank you all for making it this far with me, and in return, I wrote a much longer, fluffier chapter than normal. I hope you enjoyed it!


	26. Children

Children

The bed shook, waking Sabrina from her slumber. Hoping it would go away, Sabrina kept her eyes shut and intertwined her fingers with Amrondiil's. The bed shook again, and there was a soft thump as whatever had shaken the bed hit the ground. Sabrina tried to ignore that too, but a soft childish voice soon stirred her once more.

"Brina." the voice said. Sabrina twitched her nose, but otherwise stayed still. "Brina, this one saw your nose twitch. You are awake. Brinaaaaaaaaa! Brina, be awake now."

Sabrina sighed and opened her eyes. Inches away from her, wide eyes the color of sapphires stared at her. Fiona had beautiful fur, a light tan with accents of white and black mixed in. Her furry little face was contorted into a goofy smile, her canines extending into the fur on her bottom jaw. Her ears were perked up, and the gold rings that sat in rows of four on each ear sparkled in the early morning sunlight. In the background, her tail twitched excitedly.

Fiona began tugging the sheets off of the sleeping couple as she said, "C'mon Brina, this one found a friend. Come meet this one's friend." Fiona then dragged Sabrina down the hardwood floor of the hallway, and Sabrina had to scramble to stay upright more than once.

Amrondiil had spent a fair bit of his time building their headquarters. Well, to be more precise, he had built Dwarven automatons that then built the headquarters. Here and there they could be seen assembling new rooms or putting the finishing touches on some room that was almost completed. The handiwork was quite impressive, showcasing finely engraved silver trim around massive white marble walls and pillars. The entry doors were two stories tall, and swung open mechanically when a button was pressed on either side of the doors. A huge glass chandelier hung from the third story ceiling, and stairs ascended on either side of the room, each leading to the second story hallways. Two hallways extended straight back from the sides of the entryway, with a courtyard between them. Glass ceilings covered both the entryway and the upper hallways, with support beams made of engraved steel coated in silver. The rooms were on the outer sides of the building, with large windows in their outer walls. On the second story, the rooms were all connected by a porch that ran the length of the building, overlooking the majestic peaks that surrounded the valley. Inside the courtyard, a garden grew, complete with trees and flowers. Walkways with stone pavers traversed the park-like area, and benches were scattered about to provide comfortable places to relax and perhaps read.

At the rear end of the building, the stone dome that had arched over the altar now housed magical glowing mushrooms that were six feet tall, the walls having been sealed in around them. In the center of the dome, a trapdoor could be found that led to the underground library and vault. The vault had a massive steel door that required both magical and physical locks to be unlocked before opening it, and the library was a vast, three-story treasure trove of information with lounge chairs and tables for those that may enter.

It was down the upper southern hallway that Fiona now drug Sabrina, as fast as she could. Swerving into the last door in the hallway, Fiona pulled Sabrina into the living area of this side of the building. There stood an eleven year old who smiled at Sabrina. The smile was almost sickly sweet, and though it was carefully planned, Sabrina could still see the fangs of a vampire. Instantly, she summoned the snake tattoos on her arms, though she kept them hidden from Fiona. Ready to pounce at any second, Sabrina asked, "Fifi, who is your friend?"

Fiona replied innocently, "This is Babette. Babette likes to play with this one, and we are good friends."

A maniacal grin swept across Sabrina's face, and she released the snakes from their summons. "So what do you girls like to play?" Sabrina asked.

Fiona got really excited and began jumping up and down as she said, "This one likes dolls, and kittens, and puppies, and…" Fiona kept going, and Babette rolled her eyes. Suddenly, Fiona froze, and then exclaimed, "This one has dolls! This one will get dollies for us to play with!", and scurried off.

Sabrina strolled up to Babette and asked, "So, why are you here Babette?"

"Well," Babette replied, "After your last disappearing act, Astrid wanted to at least know what you were doing, so she sent me to keep tabs on you. I won't interfere, but I'll send Astrid reports periodically."

Sabrina sighed and shrugged. Before she could say anything, Fiona came careening into the room with a doll in each hand. Sabrina grinned at Babette, and ducked out to find Amrondiil. When she found him, she let loose.

"We need to be more careful about who we let into this place. I just came across an associate of mine from the Dark Brotherhood who was playing with Fiona! That's not ok." Sabrina exclaimed.

Amrondiil placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Hey, it's ok. Normally I am very strict about admittance, but when she showed me her Dark Brotherhood insignia, I figured she'd get in one way or another. Better for me to know about it. Besides, Fiona needs someone to play with, even if they are three hundred years old."

Sabrina shook her head, but finally conceded. After everything that had happened, she needed some relaxation time with Amrondiil, and Gods knew that wouldn't happen with Fiona around. Hard times were coming, that she knew. Better to take the time now than to miss out completely.

Two weeks went by, the days flying past in a blur of happiness. Then, a messenger arrived with news from Whiterun. The Stormcloaks were advancing once again, and the Imperial army needed their help at the earliest convenience. Directly behind the messenger, a party of men sent by the Blades, the personal bodyguards and hit squad for the Dragonborn. With deadly precision they sliced through the bandits guarding the gate and streamed through it. Sabrina was caught unprepared, and had only her daggers. Babette sprung into action and drew her short swords, standing back to back with Sabrina. Amrondiil was charging down the valley to help, his arm blade extended and shield engaged.

The Blades, knowing that they would soon be surrounded, began slashing at anyone nearby. One more ambitious lad snatched Fiona by her tail and dragged her back within his reach. Raising his katana above his head to strike, a gleam of hate glinted in his eyes. Panicking, Sabrina shot a spike of earth straight up his torso, splitting the offending man in half. Fiona scrambled away, and Sabrina raised a wall of stone around the Blades, Babette, and herself, essentially forming an arena for them to fight in. Babette snarled viciously and charged two of the offenders, her blades slashing. Sabrina leapt on one, driving her daggers into his chest through his neck. Dodging a slash from another enemy, she leapt forward, slashing his Achilles tendon,then wheeled around and lifted him into the air with her daggers. As she and Babette were slowly surrounded, she began raising the pebbles around her into a layer of stone that floated at chest level. Grabbing Babette by the collar, she pulled her into the very center of the stone circle. With a twist of her wrist, she spun the layer of pebbles in a circle around her, slicing all of the remaining Blades in half.

Sabrina lowered the stone walls, and the silence that followed was almost deafening. Finally, Babette broke the silence, saying, "Well, I guess that works. Thanks for the help."

That night, Amrondiil spent his time working on his newest invention, saying that he couldn't let her be in danger again, not like that. Fiona and Sabrina curled up on the bed, and Sabrina fell asleep to the purring of the child in her arms.


	27. A Knife in the Back

A Knife in the Back

Sabrina gasped, staring into her attacker's cold eyes. This was it. Her life would be over before she had her chance to rid Tamriel of its Dragonborn scourge. She wanted to scream, but her voice just wouldn't come. Her attacker raised a blade above her. Sabrina tried to block it, to grapple with her attacker. To do anything. Nothing happened. Sabrina simply lay wide eyed as the blade ripped through her stomach and blood poured everywhere. Suddenly she felt woozy and very sleepy. Just a little rest wouldn't hurt, right? Everything went black.

\- Three Hours Earlier -

The whole valley was busy preparing to send the group back to Whiterun. Dwarven machines scurried about carrying food and other supplies. Katerina was off making sure that her bandits knew how to keep the place running and and what their orders were. Babette had agreed to play with Fiona while Sabrina settled their newest friend into her living quarters. Along with her skills as a restoration mage, Katerina had brought her in to take care of Fiona while everyone was away fighting the Dragonborn and the Stormcloaks.

Brelyna Maryon was a nice girl, if a bit innocent for this group. She had been studying at the College of Winterhold for the last year, and had become quite the adept restoration mage, even to the point of pulling a fellow apprentice back from the edge of death during an unfortunate incident involving the Eye of Magnus at the college. Now, she too had been affected by the Dragonborn's actions, since he had taken over as the archmage after the previous one had been killed. His first course of action was to remove any unnecessary magic students. In his eyes, anyone not studying destruction or conjuration magic was unnecessary, so she had been asked to leave. Brelyna was quite happy to watch Fiona, saying that she hadn't seen any child quite that adorable in quite some time.

When Brelyna was settled in, Sabrina went and checked on Fifi and Babette, who she found playing house. Fifi had of course decided that she was the mommy, which made Babette the most annoyed daddy in the world. The dollies, you see, were not behaving like they should, and therefore required daddy to spank them, which Babette seemed to do with almost too much pleasure. Shaking her head, Sabrina went to see what Amrondiil was doing, which ended when he asked her not to enter the workshop. Apparently whatever he was working on needed to be done before she saw it. Having packed her things already, she decided to take a nap until it was time to go. Gods knew she wouldn't get much sleep until the battle was over.

Sabrina woke to a sharp pain in her arm, and immediately tried to slap at it. Her hand sprang up, but as it traveled, she lost control of it, and it crashed down or her other arm. Thinking that she'd somehow cut off the blood to that arm in her sleep, she tried to move the arm back with her other arm, but was alarmed to see that she could barely even make the arm shake. Then, her neck became weak, letting her head drop to the pillow. Her eyes darted around, wildly looking for something, anything. Above her, the form of a child clambered over her body, straddling her at the waist. It took a second, but recognition came soon enough. Babette sat above Sabrina, her fangs glinting in the light of the fire in the brazier by the door. Sabrina tried to scream, but no sound escaped her lips. She could still feel her body, but she had no control. She would die, helpless and alone, by a child vampire nonetheless.

Babette grinned and said, "Doesn't it feel horrible being so unable to defend yourself? Don't you wish you could snap my neck? Ah, but you can't. Don't worry, I won't harm your precious Fiona, or any others of your little resistance group. Ulfric Stormcloak asked for you specifically. He knows that once you are gone, nothing will become of this ragtag group of misfits. You see, I've known Ulfric since he was a wee lad, and he and I used to play together, much as Fiona and I did. The difference was, I was employed by his father. Now, I work for him, and he needs you gone if he is to win this war. So, bye, have a nice death!" Babette raised her shortsword above her head, its blade ready to plunge through Sabrina's heart. The massive door behind her creaked open, but Babette was too focused on her kill to care.

Before her blade could come back down, a massive, ten foot tall jackal-headed man with long, sweeping bronze wings leapt above her, driving its spear straight down through Babette's torso. Sweeping her to the side, he pinned her to the floor by driving the spear through the rest of her body and into the hardwood floor. Twin blades extended from its forearm, and it grabbed Babette by the hair with its other arm. Holding her head upright, it then cleaved her head from her shoulders in one clean sweep as she screamed in agony.

The giant dog-man quickly removed its bronze-headed spear from the body and wrapped the whole mess up in a sheet. Then, it reached over and wrapped its free hand around Sabrina. Slinging both over its shoulders, Sabrina more carefully than the sack of body, it headed straight for Brelyna's quarters.

Brelyna, who hadn't had time to fully unpack, began rummaging through her packs as soon as Sabrina was laid on her bed. The giant knelt on one knee, and the back opened up. Amrondiil crawled from its back and rushed to Sabrina's side.

It was a full twenty minutes before Sabrina was able to sit up on her own again, for even though the poison-nullifying potion that she had been given began working immediately, it didn't absorb quite as fast as a shot of poison in her arm. When she was beginning to feel better, and everyone relaxed, Amrondiil began showing off his newest toy.

The giant was mostly humanoid, with black steel plates making up the human parts. Muscles bulged in all the right places, and it would be impressive with just that. However, it also wore a bronze kilt, and its head was also made of bronze. Everything was articulated, moving as though it were alive. Its dog-like teeth were made of sharpened steel, and, as Amrondiil proudly displayed, could bite right through a fully armored Blade soldier. At its side, it carried a twelve foot spear, and on its arms it had the double blades and the shield that matched the ones Amrondiil wore on his person. When its bronze wings unfurled, they stretched over twenty feet wide, and shone with a magical sheen. Along their leading edge, sharpened blades sat, ready to cleave through anything that dared present itself.

Amrondiil jumped down from the giant once more and grinned. Bowing low he said, "I call it the Anubis. It will kill almost anything."

Sabrina grinned and called Amrondiil over to her side. She whispered, "Thank you for saving me with your giant toy love." Then, she kissed him.

Amrondiil wrapped his arm around her and grinned.


	28. The Perils of Travel

The Perils of Travel

The group that had left the valley was not the largest to ever leave the place, though it was quite possibly more dangerous than any larger group of others could be. Sabrina, still somewhat affected by the poison, was being carried by the Anubis armor, which Amrondiil piloted with the greatest of ease. Katerina rode a horse that she had "acquired" from a Stormcloak camp that she and her men had raided. Since the message from Whiterun had said that Alden was not going to be present due to some Vampire in the north asking for his help in another matter, they had decided that the bandits need not accompany them for this battle. The only other traveling companion they had was the Imperial messenger, who insisted on playing his lute while they walked.

They had passed the pass between Helgen and Riften, and were almost to the ruins of Helgen when voices in woods to their right attracted their attention. Sabrina and Katerina crouched down and crept up the hill until a Stormcloak camp spread out in front of them. Katerina readied her crossbow and aimed at the nearest guard, who was standing fifteen feet away. Sabrina drew her bow horizontally, aiming a very high powered shot at the guard by the horses. Exhaling slowly, she released her shot. The arrow sailed through the air, planting itself with a thwack right in the center of the poor lad's chest. Icy tendrils leapt from the arrow, quickly wrapping around his body and freezing him solid as he dropped to his knees. Katerina shot the other guard, and Amrondiil rushed to grab his body before it tumbled to the ground.

In his haste, he forgot how large he was, and his foot came down heavily on a branch. As the wood shattered under his foot, Sabrina flinched. Shortly, a voice cut through the tension.

"Thranson, is that you?" the voice bellowed.

Sabrina panicked for a second, and then glanced at the guard in Amrondiil's hand. Then, in her best man voice, she replied, "Of course it's me." Her voiced cracked like an unfortunate teen, and she went on, "Who else would it be?"

A small giggle came from the camp, and a female voice yelled, "Thirty-five and still your voice cracks? That explains your behavior on the battlefield."

Sabrina smiled, and retorted, "Oh yeah?" Then, letting her voice crack again, she said, "Why don't you come here and I'll show you just how grown up I am?"

A grunt came from the woman, and she began meandering over. Sabrina climbed the tree she was hiding behind, and crouched on a branch. Katerina raised an eyebrow, but Sabrina just winked at her. The woman wandered through the trees, looking for her friend. In the background, other Stormcloaks joked about him showing off his tiny manhood, but Sabrina tuned them out. When the woman was directly below her, she dropped, tackling the woman to the ground. This knocked the air out of the woman's body, and she began gasping, her eyes open wide as she tried to reach her sword. Sabrina drew it for her, and placed the tip on the base of the woman's neck, in the hollow between the muscles.

Leaning in, Sabrina whispered, "Hi. He's dead." The woman tried to scream, but didn't have the air to do so. "Let me sheath this for you." Sabrina whispered again, and drove the sword through the woman's neck, piercing into the ground below.

Amrondiil crept forward, and suddenly stood upright, in plain view of the entire camp. Ten Stormcloaks got a great view of the giant dog-headed man, and gasped when they saw the body in his hand. Apparently sensing an opportunity, Amrondiil closed his fist, and the remains of the poor Stormcloak guard exploded in a bloody mess all over their camp. The blacksmith fainted, and the rest charged. Amrondiil grabbed his spear, and swept it in front of him, flinging five of them into the nearby trees, and killing two of those. One died mid scream as a broken branch speared him through his open mouth and protruded from the back of his skull, letting his body hang from his impaled skull. The other bounced off his tree with a crunch as most of his ribs shattered.

Sabrina drew her bow and dropped another soldier, his body freezing in a gruesome pose of agony. Katerina charged, both of her scimitars slicing into the rebels before her. Sabrina loosed one last arrow, but it flew wild as a large hand had grasped her shoulder with a crushing grasp. Wincing in pain, she twisted away from the Stormcloak captain that stood behind her. Swiping her bow at his side, she slashed a large cut into his chest with the blades that graced the arms of her bow. The captain grimaced as the cold began creeping through his body, but his nordic blood resisted the cold, and steeled his eyes.

The captain raised his fist and drove it into Sabrina's gut, doubling her over in pain. He then backhanded her across the head, sending her crashing into the tree beside her. Thankfully, her mask and hood softened the blow, preventing her skin from breaking, though there would be a bruise on her cheek for a while. She drew her axes as she stood erect again, and was about to swing at his leg when a large arm with blades punched through the captain's chest, emerging on the other side covered in gore. Amrondiil shook the man from the anubis armor's arm, leaving the gaping body slumped against a tree.

Silence reigned king over the woods for a few moments before the whinny of a horse on the trail behind them got their attention. Sneaking back to the edge of the trail, Sabrina saw a hunter riding by on her horse. He whistled a happy tune as he rode past, completely unaware of the death that surrounded him. A bird chirped in the distance, and the hunter smiled broadly. Then, he was gone, having ridden around the bend in the road.

A few hours later, the group wound down the switchbacks that led to Riverwood. The quaint village ran along the edge of the river, with a bridge on each end of it to access the main road. The Whiterun guards that had been stationed there patrolled the streets lazily, basking in the sunlight despite the snow on the ground. Everything around them sparkled, and Sabrina began wishing she had a fur that she could wrap around herself. She'd taken items from those that she had killed, but most of that was septims. She'd never thought to take their fur cloaks.

Stories had obviously spread about her and those that accompanied her, for as she rode her newly acquired horse through the village, people pointed and whispered. Even though a giant armored man walked beside her horse, the words that she most often discerned were, "Goddess of Stone." Ignoring the whispers, she stepped into the warmth of the Riverwood Trader, the shop in which her brother's girlfriend still worked.

A gust of cold air assisted the closing of the door behind Katerina, making it close hard. Camilla, Faendal's girlfriend, was bent over behind the counter, probably putting more septims in the small safe at her feet. When the door slammed, she stood quickly, almost hitting her head on the counter as she did so. Hastily, she said, "Welcome to the Riverwood Trader, how can I…" her voice trailed off as she saw Sabrina. Sabrina had pulled her hood and mask down, and was running her fingers through her long silver hair. As she flipped it to one side, Camilla spoke again. "S… Sabrina? Is that you? It's been so long! Are you… the Goddess?"

Sabrina paused, her fingers still halfway through her hair. "Uhhhhh, yeah. Hi. Ummmm, technically, yes, I'm the person who is being referred to by that title, but don't tell anyone, please." Camilla nodded, and Sabrina went on, "I'm looking for a fur to wrap around me while I travel. Do you have anything of the sort?"

Camilla rummaged around in a pile of furs and pulled a black and white one from it. Camilla then raised it to Sabrina's shoulders, locking the adjustable metal clamps onto her armor's shoulder pieces. Sabrina pulled the wolfskin around her, and it completely engulfed her, all the way to her ankles. Camilla then raised the cloak's hood onto Sabrina's head. The skull of the wolf sat atop her head like a crown, it's fangs extending past her temples on either side. The glass eyes gleamed an enchanting blue, and Sabrina nodded. A hundred septims later, she strode from the Trader, both hoods up, and her mask on her face.

When they approached the battlefield at the Valtheim Towers, Katerina clenched her fists. All of her hard work had been undone by the soldiers. Instead of a new tower and a gate for the road, there were only piles of rubble. Katerina screamed in rage and charged the Stormcloaks who had taken up residence within.


	29. The Mask Returned

The Mask Returned

Sabrina brought her axe up into the jaw of a Stormcloak and he dropped like a sack of trash. Katerina had left a bloody trail of bodies leading to the entryway of the towers, and Sabrina was doing her best to keep the waves of soldiers, who kept advancing in droves, away from that entryway. On the other side of the Imperial lines, Alek'sir was tearing through the Stormcloaks left and right, his magical arm doing double duty as both a shield and spell arm. From time to time, icy streams would release from his rippling arm, and a dozen soldiers would be frozen solid. Amrondiil was engaged in a fight with a giant that the rebels had coerced into fighting for them, and was landing some heavy blows until a few rebels threw ropes around his legs, pulling them together. A thunderous boom echoed from the towers as he hit the ground, his arms thrashing about, but only getting them tangled as well. His wings spread wide, slashing through soldiers right and left of him, and glowed a magical purple over the bronze sheen. Flames erupted from the wings, setting the ropes ablaze, and he flapped them twice before rising into the air and then dropping, driving his spear through the back of the giant's neck.

The enemies hadn't been expecting the Anubis armor, and had been relying on the giant to strike fear into the hearts of the Imperials. Now, any fear that had existed had vaporized. Thirty men rushed forward, intent on spilling Stormcloak blood. Suddenly, a dragon shout rang out across the battlefield, and all thirty were encased in ice. A man stood between the frozen men and the Stormcloak army, his robes billowing around him from the concussive blast that the shout had produced. His voice rang out across the now silent hills, "I am the Dragonborn's representative. I speak for him, and I bear the power of the thu'um, for he has taught me to speak as a dragon…" The mask on his face hid whatever identity he may have had, but his voice seemed familiar.

The robed man kept talking, but Sabrina wasn't paying attention. While most of the Imperials had been taken aback, Alek'sir seemed to be frozen in shock. Ignoring everything around her, she dashed to his side and waved her hand in front of his face. When he didn't respond, she called upon the magic within her and touched his shoulder. Instantly, she saw experiences from Alek'sir's past through his eyes.

The mask that the man wore appeared in front of Alek'sir, though he was holding it, rotating it around in his hands as he examined it for any wear. The bumpy exterior was shaped almost into spikes all across the front, and the round eyes held slots that were cut horizontally through the center of each to allow the wearer to see out. Once he'd inspected it, he strapped it onto his face. Then, the scene changed. This time, Alek'sir stood over a man, holding a beating heart in his hand, the bloody body convulsing below him. Sabrina could feel the shame that coursed through him, and suddenly the scene changed again, this time to him reciting a phrase as he handed off his power to his successor. Suddenly, pain surged through Alek'sir's mind, and a voice spoke inside his head, "You didn't warn me! You said nothing of the pain that I would feel! You went on with your life and left me to rot with the rest of the priests. You… BETRAYER!"

Sabrina puller her hand back, and Alek'sir crumpled to his knees, muttering something about someone named Frieden. The internal struggle was visible in his face as he tried to regain his mind. Finally, he stood. His whole body was shaking and the pulsing rings on his arm began to move faster. Suddenly, he bolted forward, moving so fast that Sabrina almost didn't notice that he was moving until he reached the robed man. As he sprinted, his arm grew slightly, and became a blur as the magical rings sped up to the point of almost becoming indiscernible from each other.

When he reached the man in the mask, he let his fist fly into the mask itself. Purple lines of magic erupted from the mask, and a magical image of the mask stayed in place for a second while the man who wore it stumbled backwards with the physical mask still on his face. Alek'sir let out a scream as the magical mask spun and latched onto his face. The robed man regained his balance, but was obviously missing a large portion of his power. Drawing in a breath, he began to shout, but before the words could leave his mouth, Alek'sir clamped his magical hand over the man's mouth. Ripples of power surged through the arm, forming waves in the surface of the appendage, and creating an audible boom as the energy tried to escape Alek'sir's grasp. Alek'sir grimaced and grabbed the mask by the underside of the jaw, yanking it off of the man.

Alek'sir dropped the mask to the ground and stared at the man who had worn it in complete shock. Finally, he yelled, "YOU GODDAMN BASTARD! WHAT RIGHT DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO INFLICT THE PAIN THAT YOU HAVE UPON SABRINA?"

Sabrina was confused. It wasn't Alden she knew that much. He would be much more showy about his power. Who could it possibly be? She shuffled forward until she was just behind Alek'sir. He placed his hand in front of her in an effort to stop her from seeing who had worn the mask, but she shoved it out of her way and looked down. What she saw shocked her to her core. Below her lay the one person who she had never thought could be evil. She'd done so much to make the world right because of him, and now he was here, defending the evil in the world. In an outrage, she screamed at him, "HOW?"

Below Sabrina, her brother, Faendal, grinned up at her. "Surprise, it's me." he said in a flat tone. Sabrina balled her fists in rage as he went on, "Vampirism is a wonderful thing sis. It can bring people back from the dead if used correctly." Faendal flashed her a far-too-toothy grin, and Sabrina wrapped her hands around her daggers. Faendal's registered his impending doom, and tried to shout again, but Alek'sir clamped his hand across Faendal's mouth once again, and with a thunderous boom, the shout backfired, freezing Faendal solid.

Sabrina stood over the corpse of her twice-dead brother, her hands shaking with both rage and sadness. Slowly, she looked up, and every Stormcloak nearby backed away hastily. Sabrina screamed, and a wave of stones rose from the riverbed. Pain swept through her body, but she didn't care. Unleashing her rage, she began pelting the retreating Stormcloaks with stones the size of a horse's head. Men and women fell left and right as the rocks smashed through skulls and chests.

The world fell silent as she knelt beside her brother, resting her hand on his frozen shoulder. Images flashed through her mind, tearing her from reality.

Sabrina could see through Faendal's eyes as Alden explained that he needed the power that he could gain from the daedric lord that would speak through Faendal, but that Faendal would have to be willing to die. Then, it flashed to the excruciating pain that Faendal experienced as the vampirism coursed through his veins, waiting for the moment when he died to manifest its power. The insatiable hunger he had felt as he had followed Sabrina around during her time with the Thieves guild. The moment he decided that he owed Alden too much to turn his back on him, and the ensuing internal struggle that ripped his soul to shreds. The voices that spoke to him from the cursed mask that he wore, urging him to forget the goodness he'd once bore in his heart.

Alek'sir donned the mask that he had once worn as a dragon priest, it's power having chosen him, the rightful owner, once again. Amrondiil slashed at a few of the retreating Stormcloaks, but finally turned and picked up Sabrina's unconscious form, carefully cradling her in his arms. Sabrina moaned periodically, sometimes uttering phrases, though none could understand what she said. It would be days before she woke, and even then, the visions haunted her every time she closed her eyes. One thing she'd seen stayed with her, for it was the key to killing Alden. The fight would be over soon.


	30. A Cure for Evil

A Cure for Evil

"Nearly a month had passed since Alek'sir had frozen Faendal solid. Sabrina had spent the time recovering. Her mind had been shattered by the visions she'd seen, and it was only now that she had begun leaving her room for extended periods of time. Fiona had been a faithful companion, fetching books and scrolls for Sabrina, as well as snuggling with her throughout the day as much as the rambunctious kitten could handle. Amrondiil was becoming thin and the bags under his eyes seemed to be darker every day. Alek'sir and Katerina had kept the valley operating smoothly, and the number of bandits that had sworn themselves to Katerina had grown to almost two hundred.

A second healer had joined the fighting group just the day before, and now Sabrina made her way to the medical room. Bursting through the door, she dropped several spell books on the table, ranging from healing spells to spells that would temporarily raise a body to fight for the caster of the spell. Brelyna looked at Sabrina, who was wearing only a black silk robe, and said, "It's good to to see you up and about. What's up with all the spell books?"

Sabrina smiled and replied, "I need you two to come up with a resurrection spell that brings a person back entirely, and forever. I have a feeling that this next battle will be rather bloody, and I'd like to reduce the casualties if possible. If it's not possible within two days, I understand. Just try."

Brelyna nodded, but Sabrina knew that it was a nearly impossible task. Those poor healers had very little chance of success. She sighed and continued to tour the rooms. When she got to Alek'sir's room, she knocked softly.

Alek'sir opened the door and stuck his head through the gap. Katerina's hands were visible against the dark skin on his chest, and she seemed to be trying to pull him away. He raised a finger to Sabrina, and ducked back into the room. A few seconds later, he stepped out clad only in a towel that he'd hastily tied around his waist. He motioned towards the gardens in the courtyard, and the two slowly began walking toward the door that led to them. As they walked, they talked about how she felt, and how his relationship with Katerina was going. When they finally reached the seclusion of the gardens, she stopped and pulled a package from the pocket of her robe.

Sabrina placed her hand on his shoulder while handing Alek'sir the package. "Alek'sir," she said, "I know that you want to protect me, and I know that you won't like the plan that I have, but it's the only way to stop Alden. Please, I need your help."

Alek'sir exhaled slowly and then pulled her into his arms. He kept her wrapped in a bear hug for a bit before he said, "I know that you have things that you must do, and that I won't like some of them, but I trust that you will do the right thing. I've seen you blossom into the woman that I'm sure your mother hoped you would be, and so much more. Whatever it is that you need, I will do it. Just one thing, please, at least tell me that you will be safe in your endeavors."

Tears welled in Sabrina's eyes as she said, "As much as I want to, I cannot promise you that. I can only promise that I will do what is necessary to end Alden and the reign of terror that he is beginning."

When she returned to her room, Sabrina found Amrondiil sprawled on the bed, his chest rising and falling in the slow rhythm of sleep. A look of sadness crossed her face, and she lay down next to him, looking at his kind face and trying to memorize every single detail. Then, she kissed him softly on the forehead. It was good that he was getting sleep. He would need it for the days to come.

Morning came, and Sabrina decided that she needed to take a trip to Riften. After all, it had been a good while since she'd checked in with Brynjolf. So, she grabbed Fiona and Amrondiil, and headed north to the city of thieves.

The walk wasn't bad, though it took a couple of hours, and Fiona ended up getting carried on Amrondiil's shoulders for most of the journey. They passed a few travelers along the way, most of whom were cordial. One of the ladies that they passed even gave Fiona a small wooden sword that she had found stashed in her belongings when she left the city.

When they finally reached the gates of the city, the guards attempted to charge an entry fee for the city. Sabrina decided that this was uncalled for, and said so. The guard seemed undeterred, and Sabrina listened closely to the voice behind the mask. When he'd finished the little speech he'd probably recited in front of the mirror for the last three years, she responded. "Jostiel, I know it's you behind that damn faceplate. I also know that you only have one of the berries to go with your twig, so unless you want to lose the other one, I'd suggest that you step aside."

The guard looked around awkwardly, and then stepped aside. Sabrina grinned from ear to ear, proud of the power her knowledge had on people. Bowing slightly as she passed, she snickered and slapped the guard on the shoulder lightly, then continued to the marketplace.

People seemed more stressed than Sabrina remembered. Normally, she'd attribute this to her own presence inside a Stormcloak city, but she had decided to take this trip as a civilian, wearing a white sun dress and a floppy hat instead of her normal leather armor and mask. After all, she didn't want to fight anyone today. She was about to simply grab a guard to explain the tension, when Ulfric Stormcloak strode down the street ahead of her, flanked by the hulking form of Alden. Apparently since the Dawnguard, the vampire hunters of Skyrim, had defeated Alden's vampire friends, he'd been guarding the leader of the rebellion. Sabrina tightened her grip on Fiona's hand and turned away quickly, heading down the stairs that led to the underground section of the city.

It had been a while since anyone had used the old tunnel system to get to the thieves guild apparently, because there were a couple of ruffians that attempted to stop the trio just before the door to the Ragged Flagon, the bar that was connected to the guild headquarters.

"Hol' up there Missy." the larger thug said. "I do believe that in order to pass through the door, you are going to need to give me a little, ah, motivational money to cover the door opening cost of course."

Sabrina looked him in the eye and said, "You don't want to do that. You are going to let me through this door, or I will make sure you wish you had."

The men looked at her, and then looked at Amrondiil and scoffed, "You going to let your woman talk to a man like that?"

At this, Amrondiil grinned so widely, Sabrina thought his face might split. Sabrina reached for the man's throat with lightning speed, and lifted him effortlessly, using her telekinesis to assist her strength. She then yelled through the door as the other man stood in shock, "Brynjolf!"

A few awkward moments passed with nothing but silence before the door to the Flagon opened slowly and Brynjolf poked his head out. "Yes lass? What can I do for ya?" he said. Then, realizing who he was talking to, he opened the door wide and exclaimed, "Sabrina! Put him down! The poor boy only started last week."

Sabrina grinned and set the fool down. Brynjolf welcomed them in and grabbed a few bottles of mead. The three adults sat down around a table, and Fiona ran out onto the dock that was adjacent to the bar. Before she could get too far, Vex, the best infiltrator in the guild, grabbed her and pulled her to a bench. "Just what do you think you are doing, little one? Here, look at these." she said, handing Fiona a set of silver loop earrings about the size of a wedding band. Then, looking at Sabrina for permission, she asked, "Do you want to see how they look on you?" Sabrina nodded, and Vex took the kitten to the mirror at the bar, where Fiona began oo-ing and ah-ing.

Between the three at the table, the topics ranged from how things had gone with the guild to the things that Sabrina had done recently. The Stormcloaks, who the guild neither supported or fought, were getting their butts kicked, so now they had decided to hole up in Riften, as a last defense before retreating to Windhelm. Mercer Frey, the previous leader of the guild, had been "removed" from office, though his replacement was no better, for it was Alden. Thankfully, once he'd taken over, Alden pretty much abandoned the guild, choosing the path of murderous destruction instead. On a happier note, an old member of the guild had returned, and was now basically running the place.

When Sabrina, Amrondiil, and Fiona finally snuck out of Riften, Sabrina was information and equipment rich. Fiona had made off with her first earrings, the rings of which hung from the lower half of her ears, which stood straight up to show how excited she was. Amrondiil and Brynjolf had talked for awhile, and Brynjolf had agreed to make sure that there was a back way into the city.

Morning broke far too early, as Katerina burst into Sabrina and Amrondiil's room short of breath. "The empire is attacking Riften! We need to move now!" she yelled, then turned and ran to the next room. Amrondiil groaned, but Sabrina was already pulling her armor on. When she finished, she ran down to the dining hall, where eggs, potatoes, and bacon sat in the table, ready to eat. Bandits bustled about, their various sets of armor in many different stages of assembly as they shoved as much food as they could into their mouths. The din of excited conversations filled the air, making it difficult to hear anything anyone said. Alek'sir slid in next to Sabrina and slyly handed her the package that she'd given him earlier. Then, without a word, he slipped away. On the top was a note that read, "It worked. Good luck."

Brelyna trotted up, a stack of papers crumpled in one hand, and a glass of apple juice in the other. She dejectedly tossed the papers in front of Sabrina's plate and said, "I'm sorry, we couldn't do it. Bringing someone back from the dead is just too difficult for us to manage. I'm so sorry."

Sabrina shook her head. "No, don't be. I asked an impossible task of you. I just thank you for trying." she said. Brelyna smiled sadly, and walked off toward the medical room.

Soon, the bandits began assembling to travel. Sabrina, Amrondiil, Katerina, and Alek'sir stood in front of them and began giving instructions. As she talked, Sabrina felt a tugging on her arm. When she looked down, she saw Fiona there, her kitten eyes as wide as possible. "Can I come with you?" the kitten asked.

Sabrina crouched down to get on her level, and said, "I'm sorry baby kitty, you are going to have to stay here. Just be good for Brelyna… Wait, did you just say 'I'?"

Fiona giggled and nodded. Sabrina pulled the kitten to her in a hug and softly pet her fur on top of her head as tears welled up in her own eyes. Her voice choked as she said, "Never forget that I love you." Fiona nodded and skipped away as the mass of fighters left the valley.

When they neared Riften, the bandits split into two groups. The larger group, led by Amrondiil and Katerina, snuck up to the walls as well as they could, picking off lookouts that patrolled the bulwarks as they were able to. When they finally got close, they threw ropes with climbing grapples over the wall and began scaling it.

The other group, which followed Sabrina and Alek'sir, only numbered twenty, including the duo. They all boarded a set of three rowboats, and began paddling to the center of the lake. When they reached the small buey that floated just below the surface, they all latched breathing apparatuses to their mouths and dove to the bottom of the lake. When they reached the drain pipe that exited there, they swam up it until they all surfaced inside the Ragged Flagon, right off the end of the indoor dock. Vex and Brynjolf helped them out of the water, and handed them enchanted towels to thoroughly dry themselves before battle.

Sabrina turned to Vex and asked, "Where is Ulfric right now? Alden is bound to be nearby."

Vex winked and pointed to the city map on the wall, which had Ulfric's name scrawled on one of the houses in chalk. "Last check in was five minutes ago, and he was still there, along with the Dragonborn. Good luck Goddess."

All of the bandits turned to Sabrina for guidance, and she gave it to them. "When we reach the city, start eliminating the officers from behind. Alek'sir and I will deal with the Jarl and the Dragonborn. Now, follow me."

Twenty people crept out of the sewer entrance unnoticed, most of them splitting off toward the gate. Sabrina and Alek'sir grabbed the ropes that hung from the upper level of the city and began climbing hand over hand. When they were about to haul themselves over the railing, a Stormcloak messenger came tearing down the walkway from the house from where Ulfric was commanding the battle. Both climbers shrank behind the railing, and Sabrina slightly raised a stone in the walkway ahead of the messenger, tripping him, and sending him careening toward the railing where Sabrina was hiding. As he hit the railing, she slashed out with her hand, slapping him across the back as he flipped over it and started falling into the canal below. The boy's body went limp with paralysis, a sure sign that her snake tattoo had hit its mark. His limp body sank into the gently flowing water as the two infiltrators pulled themselves onto the walkway.

Sabrina and Alek'sir crept up to the door of the house-turned-command-center, and tried the door handle. Unfortunately, it was locked, and they could hear guards just inside the door. They would have to find another way in. After looking around a bit, Sabrina whispered into Alek'sir's ear. Both nodded, and she walked a small distance away. Alek'sir did a silent count with his fingers, and on three, Sabrina charged at him. At the last moment, he crouched down, forming a shield with his rippling magical arm. Sabrina leapt onto the shield, and he lifted her as she jumped from it, propelling her to the second story balcony, where she landed nimbly.

To her surprise, the balcony door was unlocked. As she entered, she heard the massive concussive wave as Alek'sir punched the front door down with his double arm. Confusion reigned below her as soldiers and guards scrambled to stop the burly man who was ripping them to shreds. Sabrina slipped her daggers into her hands and slit the throats of two soldiers who had woken in confusion. Apparently, even bodyguards needed a break, regardless of the battles nearby. Sabrina leapt the railing of the stairs, landing right behind a Stormcloak captain, who she stabbed with both daggers, letting his body fall at her feet.

Alek'sir had already taken care of most of the soldiers in the room, and had thrown Ulfric aside. Broken bodies surrounded the two large men who stood in the center of the room. Alden laughed, tipping his head back. Sabrina was about to jump at him from behind, when the two mountains of muscle in front of her shouted in unison, "FUS RO DAH!"

A massive concussive wave leapt from each man, the force of which Sabrina had never seen. The two shockwaves collided, creating a massive explosion that sent both of them flying in opposite directions. Alden blasted ungracefully through the rear wall, but Alek'sir managed to ball up behind the shield that he'd formed reflexively with his arm before he hit the front wall, blowing another large hole in it.

Alek'sir rolled and righted himself rather quickly, as did Alden. Sabrina was recovering from the blast, but she heard Alden yell, "So, you are the immortal Dragonborn that the legends speak of. I thought you retired after the dragon wars! Oh well, far be it from me to back down from an easy execution." Several Imperial soldiers attempted to slash at Alden, but he simply drew the ebony blade, and severed limbs and heads from their bodies with quick, concise strikes, before turning back to face Alek'sir. The bodies lay bloodied and mangled around him as he stood defiantly.

Alek'sir grinned and retorted, "Boy, you know not of what you speak. If you wish to die, then I shall grant you your wish. Otherwise, shut mouth and be respectful of those who's power you cannot match." With that, both men, with dragon blood running hot in their veins, charged each other. Alden raised his cursed blade, and Alek'sir roared, raising his dragon priest mask to his face. Power surged around him in waves, and the two collided. Alden's blade struck true, stabbing right through Alek'sir's magical shoulder.

The waves of energy beat at Alden, whipping him around like a sapling in a windstorm. Several times, he tried to shout, but Alek'sir's power kept him from succeeding.

Alek'sir's arm began glowing orange, and in a flash, both the arm and the cursed blade exploded into a scattering of magical dust. Alden sensed the moment of opportunity, and his fists balled. Then, he used FUS RO DAH once more, sending the old man flying back into the marketplace. Alden strode out, and placed his armored boot on Alek'sir's chest. Before he could do anything, Sabrina shook herself back into action, cursing herself for her stupidity and slowness, summoning a storm of sand and gravel to start whirling around the vampiric man of dragon descent. Small explosions burst around his head, disorienting him long enough for her to get near. Several Stormcloak soldiers attempted to intervene, and she reflexively drew her bow and fired arrows in quick succession until all that was left was a maze of frozen pillars, the bodies within writhing in their final agonies.

In the background, a large dog-man flew about, stabbing anything that got near his men, and a pirate woman fired shots with her crossbow. Ulfric ran in terror, but Sabrina paid him no mind. Her only thought was the end of this terrible demon that had ruined her life.

When she reached the swirling storm, it opened for her to step within it. Alden laughed menacingly, and she began focusing streams of sand to cut through his armor, to show her the fleshy parts of this demon among men. To her surprise, the sand did nothing, and he simply continued to laugh. The souls trapped in his armor screamed in agony, but they deflected all the damage that would have sundered him. Suddenly, the sand gouged into the armor, and Alden let out a scream. Sabrina glanced down, and saw Alek'sir's remaining hand wrapped around Alden's leg, his mask agape where the mouth would have been. The jagged orifice sucked the souls from the young Dragonborn's armor, making it weak to her attacks. Then, Alek'sir slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Alden reached a hand out and began choking the life from her body. A wave of sleepiness washed over her, and she almost gave in, but snapped back when she saw that the diminished storm had let the Anubis armor in, and Amrondiil had tried to stab at Alden. Unfortunately, the spear had missed, and Alden used his force shout one more time, crumpling the armor around Amrondiil, who whimpered and gasped as the suit fell to the ground in a heap. In the distance, Katerina slashed at the remaining soldiers, who fell like sheep in a slaughter around her.

Sabrina hardened her attack, slicing the helmet and gauntlets from Alden's body. Then, she reached to her side and pulled from her pocket a pair of prisoner's cuffs, which she quickly slapped onto his wrists. Before the battle, she'd slipped a ring onto her finger, and she now kissed it. Sand blasted the vampire's face, but his body just kept regenerating. Finally, she dropped the storm, and said, "I cannot kill you, but I must stop you." Then, she pulled a third dagger from her belt and slashed it across his wrists.

Alden laughed and mocked Sabrina, "You cannot trap my soul, little girl, for I have none. I am a vampire you fool!"

To this, Sabrina responded, "Then I'll trap mine!"

Suddenly, his face blanched, even more than his usual vampiric pale. A green energy surged around him, and sucked into the soul gem she held in her hand. His body fell to the ground, limp, though not dead.

Sabrina collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. A wet Khajiit kitten scrambled to her side screaming, "No Brina, no!" Sabrina let herself fall into Fiona's lap as tears ran down both of their faces. Sabrina drew the knife across her hand, and purple energy swirled around her. With her last ounce of strength, she pulled the kitten's hand to her mouth and kissed the back of it, then went limp as her soul sucked into the gem in her hand. Her deep purple eyes fluttered closed, and her silver hair fluttered in settling breeze.

Fiona's eyes went white, and she saw everything from that fateful night onward. When she awoke, she screamed and cried for Sabrina to wake up, even beating on her chest, but to this day, Sabrina sleeps."

Eric looked wide eyed at his aunt Fifi and asked, "Did all that really happen?"

Fifi purred and responded, "Yes. I know Kat… Er, your mother, doesn't like to talk about it much, but it's all true. I'm going to the medical room to see Sabrina this afternoon. Do you want to come along?"

Alek'sir looked at Fifi from the doorway and smiled softly while rubbing his wooden arm. "Kids," he said, "Go ahead. It's about time we showed you anyway. After you have seen her, I'll take you to see the dragon."

Fifi smiled, and as the Khajiit and the two children walked past the mantelpiece, Fifi stopped and ran her fingers over the soul gem that rested upon it, to her chagrin, feeling the cracks in the gem, and finding them slightly larger than before. The two shadowy figures within still locked in their unending fight, neither prevailing over the other...

Author's notes: This has been fun, and I thank you all for making it through the story. For anyone interested in more background on Alek'sir, check out my other story, Miraak's Second Hand. Once again, thanks for reading!


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